The Review of Religions October 2015

Halloween –
Fear or Fun?
10
Shariah: A Semantic
Oxymoron?
28
Connecting to Khilafat:
A Guidance for Today’s
Muslim Youth
36
Islam’s Response to the
Destruction of Cultural
Heritage
56
vol. 110 - issue tenoctober 2015 www.reviewofreligions.org
A Guidance forToday’s MuslimYouth
Connecting to Khilafat:

And who eschew the more
grievous sins and indecencies, and,
when they are wroth, they forgive.
And those who hearken to their
Lord, and observe Prayer, and
whose affairs are decided by mutual
consultation, and who spend
out of what We have provided
for them. And the recompense
of an injury is an injury thereof;
but whoso forgives and his act
brings about reformation, his
reward is with Allah. Surely, He
loves not the wrongdoers.
Islam, the Holy Qur’an,
Ch.42:V.38-41.
The height of excellence is
that you should strengthen
the ties of relationship with
the one who severs them and
be generous to the one who is
miserly to you and be forgiving
to the one who abuses you.
Islam, the Holy
Prophetsa
, Hadith of
Masnad Ahmad.
In principle, the evildoer deserves
retribution proportionate to
his crime, but he who forgives
in order to reform, provided
forgiveness does not result
in further mischief, will have
his reward with Allah.
Islam, the Promised
Messiahas
, The Essence of
Islam, Vol. 3, p. 26.
If you are offering your gift at
the altar, and there remember
that your brother has something
against you, leave your gift there
before the altar and go; first be
reconciled to your brother, and
then come and offer your gift.
Christianity, The Bible,
Matthew, 5:23-24.
Where there is forgiveness,
there is God Himself.
Sikhism, Adi Granth,
Shalok, Kabir, p. 1372.
Who takes vengeance or bears a
grudge acts like one who, having
cut one hand while handling
a knife, avenges himself by
stabbing the other hand.
Judaism, Jerusalem
Talmud, Nedarim 9.4.
In reconciling a great injury,
Some injury is sure to remain.
How can this be good?
Therefore the sage holds the
left-hand tally [obligation] of a
contract;
He does not blame others.
The person of virtue attends to the
obligation;
The person without virtue
attends to the exactions.
Taoism, Tao Te Ching 79.
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
Forgiveness &
Reconciliation
world faiths

10 Halloween – Fear or Fun?
The real horrors and
harms of Halloween.
by Navida Sayed, Middlesex, UK
24 Prohibition of the Use of Force
,
the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi
28 Shariah:
A Semantic Oxymoron?
What is Shariah? Can it be
implemented by force?
by Ayesha Mahmood Malik, Tilford, UK
36 Connecting to Khilafat:
A Guidance for Today’s
Muslim Youth
Muslim youth have fallen to
radicalisation all over the world.
How can we solve this problem?
56 Islam’s Response to the
Destruction of
Cultural Heritage
Is ISIS’s practice of
Iconoclasm Islamic?
by Rizwan Safir, London, UK
70 The Economic System of Islam
Islamic teachings on accumulation
and spending of wealth.
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra
84 Islam and Extremism
How Islamic is the ‘Islamic’ State?
by Yameen Khalil, McAlester, Oklahoma , USA
Front cover picture:
© shutterstock.com
contents
october 2015 Vol.110 issue ten
84
36
56

CHIEF EDITOR & MANAGER
Syed Amer Safir
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Nakasha Ahmad,Tariq H. Malik
RELIGION & SCIENCE
Editor: Dr. Syed Muhammad Tahir Nasser
Deputy: Dr.Tauseef Khan
ISLAM & CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
Editor: Shahzad Ahmad
LAW & HUMAN RIGHTS
Editor: Qudsi Rasheed
Deputy: Ayesha Mahmood Malik
ANCIENT RELIGIONS & ARCHAEOLOGY
Editor: Fazal Ahmad
Deputy: Rizwan Safir
CHRISTIANITY
Editor: Navida Sayed
Deputy: Arif Khan
GENDER & EQUALITY
Editor: Aliya Latif
Deputy: Meliha Hayat
BOOK REVIEWS
Editor: Sarah Waseem
WEB TEAM
Mubashara Ahmad, Hibba Turrauf
Special Collections
Head: Razwan Baig
EDITORIAL BOARD
Mansoor Saqi, Bockarie Tommy Kallon, Professor
Amtul Razzaq Carmichael, Murtaza Ahmad, Fiona
O’Keefe, Hassan Wahab, Jonathan Butterworth,
Munazza Khan, Waqar Ahmedi, Mahida Javed
SUB-EDITORS
Munawara Ghauri (Head), Maryam Malik,
Nusrat Haq, Mariam Rahman
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HOUSE STYLE GUIDE
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ACCOUNTS & MARKETING
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ART & CREATIVITY
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INDEXING,TAGGING & ARCHIVING
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(Deputy). Humaira Omer, Humda Sohail, Shahid Malik, Ruhana
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MANAGEMENT BOARD
Munir-Ud-Din Shams (Chairman), Syed Amer Safir (Secretary), Mubarak Ahmad Zaffar, Ataul Mujeeb
Rashed, Naseer Qamar, Abdul Baqi Arshad, Abid Waheed Ahmad Khan, Aziz Ahmad Bilal
Deep in the heart of the Arab
Peninsula, amidst the desert
and the valleys of Pharan,
stands a modest bricked
structure. This monument is
undisputedly the single most
sacred, revered and Holy
Shrine of Islam; the compass
point for which the Muslim
world aligns itself on a daily
basis in prostration to God.
Its name is the Ka’bah, literally
translating from Arabic as ‘the cube’,
but is synonymously referred to as
Baytul Haram or ‘the Sacred House’. It
was established for the benefit of the
whole of mankind, to act as a centre
for the unification of humanity.
Does its inception lie with the
earliest human populations – viz-a-
viz Adamas
and his Community – or
were Abrahamas
and his son Ishmaelas
the individuals responsible for its
initial erection? And what purpose
does the Ka’bah actually serve?
Purchase print copy: http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html

The Review of Religions has launched its brand new
YouTube channel with cutting edge content including
short documentaries relating to religious trends, current
affairs and social issues affecting us all.
The channel aims to connect subscribers on a new platform
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We will also show the impact of religion through the eyes of
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www.YouTube.com/TheReviewofReligions
The world is passing through turbulent times.The global economic crisis
continues to manifest new and grave dangers at every juncture.The
similarities of the current circumstances to the build-up of the Second World
War are stark. Events appear to be moving us rapidly towards aThird World
War.The consequences of a nuclear war are beyond our imagination. In
this book, the historic addresses of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, Fifth
Khalifah of the Promised Messiah and Supreme Head of the worldwide
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to prominent dignitaries at Capitol Hill, the
House of Commons, the European Parliament and other notable locations
around the world have been collated.The book also includes the momentous
letters sent by His Holiness to the numerous world leaders. Over and over
again, His Holiness has reminded all that the only means of averting a global
catastrophe is for nations to establish justice as an absolute requirement of
their dealings with others. Even if mutual enmity exists, impartiality must
be observed at all times, because history has taught us that this alone is
the way to eliminate all traces of hatreds and to build everlasting peace.
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Halloween is here once again; a day
revolving around poltergeists, witches,
zombies, black cats and bats. A super-
stitious night, fixated upon uncanny,
otherworldly, ghoulish costumes and
plenty of death imagery,celebrating a day
of the dead and all in the name of ‘fun.’
Unfortunately, the gruesomeness and
emphasis on real-life gore has become
so extensive,that people no longer know
what is real. Sadly,in 2014,a deeply dis-
turbing incident occurred.Residents who
saw a man drag his decapitated mother’s
body into a street believed they were wit-
nessing a macabre Halloween prank.The
body was found near a home decorated
with Halloween pumpkins,fake cobwebs
and a mock graveyard.“Everyone thought
it was like a Halloween prank,” a neigh-
bour commented.[1]
This is not only tragic
but alarming and one wonders where is
the fun in the deathly connotations of
Halloween?
Origins of Halloween
Where and how did Halloween origi-
nate? Halloween originates from the
Celtic festival of death, marking the
beginning of their New Year.“To Witches
and Pagans, Samhain is the Festival of the
Dead,and for many,it is the most important
Sabbat (Holiday) of the year.”[2]
‘Samhain,’
pronounced sow-en or saw-win, “dates
back to the ancient Celts who lived 2,000
years ago” and is celebrated on 31st
October or 1st
November.[3]
“In the Celtic
Tradition, the year begins at Samhain[;]
this is the most powerful night of the year
to perform divination. Divination is done
in many forms but all seek to establish a look
ahead, whether the answer appears good or
bad.”[4]
In Christian tradition,Halloween
is the abbreviated term for ‘All Hallows
of Eve,’the day before All Saints’Day, a
day when Christians commemorate all
the known and unknown deceased saints
of the Church.
Halloween Costumes
More recently, Halloween has become
gorier resulting in more extreme cos-
tumes.[5]
Halloween costumes for
Halloween –
Fear or Fun?
by Navida Sayed, Middlesex, UK
Residents who saw a man
drag his decapitated mother’s
body into a street believed they
were witnessing a macabre
Halloween prank.The body
was found near a home
decorated with Halloween
pumpkins, fake cobwebs
and a mock graveyard.
© Shutterstock | Merydolla
october 2015 | The Review of Religions 11

Children are naturally more prone to
being scared easily. Psychologist Dr.
Lawrence Ross says,“As Halloween draws
near many parents wonder whether allow-
ing their children to watch horror movies
can be harmful for them.It is true that many
children and adolescents are drawn to hor-
ror movies[.] It is equally true that many
of these same children experience negative
effects of trouble falling asleep, nightmares,
fear of the dark, anxiety, increased feelings of
vulnerability and increased concerns about
possible (and sometimes unlikely) dangers
that can befall them[.]These negative effects
sometimes last days or weeks but sometimes
they can last much longer.”[9]
Clearly, young children should not be
exposed to horror movies,but even teens
can be affected. Family therapist Jeanne
Meijs explains,“Many parents deny access
to porn sites and violent games on children’s
computers, tablets and phones – and this is
indeed important…Witnessing perversion
and violence is something they are unable
to deal with at a young age. Who would
feed liquor or poisonous plants to a child that
had just learnt to eat? Similarly you don’t
feed children of twelve, thirteen or fourteen,
who are just beginning to feel the first hor-
mones playing in their bodies, sadism and
horror.That would be bad in taste, to put it
mildly.”[10]
Halloween emphasises horror,
death and the occult, primarily through
horror movies and video games. Parents
can help to prevent the exposure of their
children to these things.
Horror Movies
Halloween night is peak time for hor-
ror movies and each year the movie
industry creates even more horrifying
images than they have in the past. The
Los Angeles Times reports,“Just when you
think Halloween Horror Nights can’t pos-
sibly get any better, the annual Universal
Studios Hollywood event finds new and
more impressive ways to terrorize you.
Like an evil genius devising more deviously
clever ways to dispatch his victims, Horror
Nights has upped its industry-leading game
once again with a host of otherworldly and
mythological puppet creatures that will take
your breath away with their frightening
realism.”[11]
Horror can impact anyone, as Dr. Ross
explains, “Even for adolescents, horror
movies can have serious lasting effects. It
is certainly true that the amount of vio-
lence and blood and gore has increased
and has steadily been depicted with more
detail and realism over the last 50 years.
Beyond this the horror movies watched by
adolescents often contain disturbing sexual
images and situations that can alter their
young children have ranged from “killer
clowns brandishing blood-soaked machetes,
deranged convicts and zombie ninjas armed
with knives. Add to that the…fictional kill-
ers who gave people nightmares during the
‘80s and ‘90s – Freddy Krueger, Michael
Myers, Jason Voorhees from ‘Friday the
13th
’ and Chucky, the murderous doll from
‘Child’s Play’—now available in sizes that
can fit a five-year-old.”[6]
Generally,adults
and parents try to present good and posi-
tive role models to children,which is vital
in their day-to-day lives. However, such
costumes symbolising violence, blood-
shed and death,undermine this and have
a very negative and harmful impact on
young children. Regardless of the fact
that they are only costumes worn for fun,
they are linked to horror and violence,
which irrefutably has a negative impact
on everyone.
Fun and Fear
Surely, babies and young children will
not perceive passers-by on a dark night
dressed as zombies,with disfigured parts
of the body covered in blood and vam-
pire-like teeth,as entertaining.According
to Dr.Mirriam Stoppard,“Nearly all chil-
dren have some irrational fears, such as fear
of monsters,ghosts,or dragons.Remember,to
your child a fear is serious, so you shouldn’t
try to tell them that fears are unreal.”[7]
Younger children need assurance and
comfort from fears, so even if they are
dressed as fluffy characters,princesses or
heroes, they will still come across other
people dressed as werewolves, zombies
and monsters. Parents can help their
child to deal with their fears. Baby and
childcare expert Dr.Spock says,“You can
help your child deal with particular fears,
whether about dogs or insects or monsters,
by lowering the level of tension in general.
Avoid scary films and TV programs.”[8]
Halloween decoration in front of a house.
© Shutterstock | Orhan Cam
12 The Review of Religions | october 2015 october 2015 | The Review of Religions 13

Halloween-related Incidents
Regardless of people passionately
debating that Halloween is fun and
entertaining,the dark side of Halloween
has an undeniably negative impact on
many individuals. It is a time for wild
partying and drinking for many people.
The New York Times reports, “Halloween
is one of the deadliest nights of the year
because there are more drunken drivers
and pedestrians on the road, according
to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.”[15]
A tragic and shocking
incident related to Halloween, included
a murder confession of a teenager who
copied a Halloween film. “A 17-year-
old wrote in a confession…that the horror
movie remake of ‘Halloween’ gave him the
idea to kill his mother and sister…In a four-
page written confession to police hours after
his arrest, Evans said he had watched the
remake of ‘Halloween’ three times earlier
that week.”[16]
Although these may be two
of a handful of such incidents in rela-
tion to Halloween, the truth is that it
was a murder inspired and motivated by
a Halloween horror film.
Halloween Pranks or Real Crime?
The emphasis on Halloween gore is so
realistic these days,that unfortunately on
a few occasions,passers-by have mistaken
dead bodies for Halloween displays. “In
1997,a Connecticut woman was hit by a car
outside of a haunted house display.Passersby,
on their way to partake of the fright and
gore at the Nightmare at Floydville Road,
thought the woman who lay there dying,
bloodied and in pain, was part of the act...
Kimberley Kitrinos eventually died from
her injuries and police were able to track
down the drive…A bit more recently, in
view of human sexuality.The primary rea-
son that horror movies can be so harmful is
that although we may know in our mind
that the movie is not real, our body and our
physiological responses react to the images
and events as if they were real!”[12]
Most people do not enjoy horror
and gore, but the commercialism of
Halloween has a strong influence on
society. It is celebrated to such a scale
nowadays, that even people who do not
wish to celebrate Halloween may do so,
so as not to be ostracised or perceived as
‘spoilsports.’
Access to Horror on the Internet
In these modern times of digital depend-
ence,everyone has a technological gadget
including many children. With the
Internet, horror films and games have
become widely accessible. Games such
as “Giant spiders, bleeding walls, inexpli-
cable whispers...the games that will leave
you quivering in fear” and ‘freakish’ games
like Alien Isolation and The Evil Within
rank amongst the top ten horror video
games during Halloween.[13]
The use of
the Internet on any gadget can be both
beneficial and detrimental and needs to
be closely monitored where children are
concerned.The author of several parent-
ing books and family therapist, Jeanne
Meijs, explains, “Modern parents have a
double task now that ‘going out’ is just as
much of a temptation inside the house as
outside…Parents who take care to keep an
eye on their children are not old-fashioned,
but rather as modern as can be. They are
conscious of the power of digital violence.
As parents we need to be alert to what our
children are doing, and with whom, on the
Internet.”[14]
“Parents who take care to keep
an eye on their children are
not old-fashioned, but rather
as modern as can be.They
are conscious of the power of
digital violence. As parents
we need to be alert to what
our children are doing, and
with whom, on the Internet.”
Halloween decorations.
© Shutterstock | Maya Kruchankova
Halloween decorations in the front yard
of a house in America on Halloween.
© Shutterstock | Arina P Habich

Halloween spending—including candy,
costumes, and decorations— to come to $7.4
billion this year…The NRF estimates that
Americans will spend $350 million just on
pet Halloween costumes.”[18]
It is a positive that people love their pets
and take good care of them but buying
them Halloween costumes is ludicrous!
Spending so much on one day is excessive
and wasteful on a national scale.
No Fun in Food Wastage on
Halloween
The food wastage at Halloween in terms
of the big, carved pumpkins also needs
reflection.“But while US pumpkin buyers
enjoy turning their fruit into a tasty dish,
their UK counterparts have been far more
reluctant to cook the scooped-out insides,
with only a third choosing to do so, accord-
ing to research from the Pumpkin Rescue
campaign. As a result, 18,000 tons of per-
fectly edible squash is tipped straight into the
bin every Halloween – weighing the same
as 1,500 double decker buses.”[19]
Where is the fun in outrageous amounts
of food wastage for celebrating one
day? According to the World Food
Programme, “Some 795 million people in
the world do not have enough food to lead a
healthy active life.That’s about one in nine
October 2005, a Delaware woman commit-
ted suicide by hanging herself from a tree.
People who saw the body hanging across the
street from some houses on a relatively busy
street thought it was a Halloween decora-
tion and didn’t call the police or 911. The
next morning, people went to work and saw
the body of the 42-year-old woman, but no
one thought anything of it, thinking it was
a Halloween prank. Hours later someone
finally called the police, who discovered that
the body was in fact real.”In Los Angeles
October 2009, a man’s corpse decom-
posed on his balcony, in full view of his
neighbours, for days and no one called
the police because they believed it to be
a very convincing Halloween display. In
2013, a Denver postman came across
a body on someone’s front porch and
walked away thinking it was a Halloween
decoration. Sadly it turned out to be a
man who died on his porch after a late
shift at work.[17]
These incidents are tragic and one feels
a revulsion at the thought of such occur-
rences. The macabre commercialism of
Halloween has become excessive and is
responsible for such tragic and unfortu-
nate incidents.Such deaths on any other
day apart from Halloween would never
be ignored.
No Fun in Halloween Expenditure
It seems that the only ones who are
really having fun on Halloween are
the businesses that are profiting by
millions every year. In 2014, it was pre-
dicted how much Americans would
spend on Halloween, “The National
Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts total
“The National Retail
Federation (NRF) forecasts
total Halloween spending—
including candy, costumes,
and decorations— to
come to $7.4 billion this
year.The NRF estimates
that Americans will spend
$350 million just on pet
Halloween costumes.”
Witch table with halloween pumpkin.
© Shutterstock | Shaiith
halloween – fear or fun?
quickfacts
• Today in North America around
$3 billion is spent every year
on Halloween costumes.
• Halloween is the second
highest grossing commercial
holiday after Christmas.
• Around 35 million children, in
the US, between 5 and 13
years old go trick or treating
every year, which is around
90% of all children in that age
group.
• “Souling” is a medieval
Christian precursor to modern-
day trick-or-treating. The
poor would go door-to-door
offering prayers for the dead in
exchange for soul cakes.
• In many countries, such
as France and Australia,
Halloween is seen as
an unwanted and overly
commercial American
influence.

3. Ibid.
4. “Samhain - The Wheel of The Year,”The
White Goddess, accessed October 1, 2015, http://
www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/the_wheel_of_the_
year/samhain.asp.
5. Andre Mayer,“Halloween: When Did
It Become so Gory?”CBC News, last modi-
fied October 31, 2013, http://www.cbc.ca/
news/halloween-when-did-it-become-so-
gory-1.2288573.
6. Melissa Rayworth,“Halloween Costumes
For Kids Are Gorier This Year Than Ever,”The
Huffington Post, last modified October 24, 2012,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/
halloween-costumes-for-kids_n_2011495.html.
7. Dr. Miriam Stoppard, Complete Baby and
Childcare (London: Dorling Kindersley, 2006),
136.
8. Benjamin Spock and Robert Needlman, Dr.
Spock’s Baby & Childcare (London: Simon &
Schuster, 2011),189.
9. Lawrence Ross,“Can Watching Horror
Films Be Harmful To Our Children?,”
Tidewater Parent, publication date October 22,
2013, http://tidewaterparent.com/2013/10/22/
can-watching-horror-films-harmful-children/.
10. Jeanne Meijs, Understanding The Journey
(Edinburgh: Floris, 2013), 136.
11. Brady MacDonald,“Review: Universal’s
Halloween Horror Nights Gets Better as
Crowds Grow Bigger,”Los Angeles Times,
publication date September 21, 2014, http://
www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/
la-trb-halloween-horror-nights-review-uni-
versal-studios-hollywood-20140920-story.
html#page=1.
12. Lawrence Ross,“Can Watching Horror
Films Be Harmful To Our Children?,”
Tidewater Parent, publication date October 22,
2013, http://tidewaterparent.com/2013/10/22/
can-watching-horror-films-harmful-children/.
13. Oliver Cragg,“Top 10 horror video games
for Halloween,”Independent, publication date
October 31, 2014, http://www.independent.
co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/top-
10-horror-video-games-9830279.html.
14. Jeanne Meijs, Understanding The Journey
(Edinburgh: Floris, 2013), 136-137.
15. Ashley Southall,“Deadly Halloween Across
the Nation,”The New York Times, publication
date November 2, 2014, http://www.nytimes.
com/2014/11/02/us/deadly-halloween-across-
the-nation.html?_r=0.
people on earth.”[20]
The fact and thought
of such excessive food wastage compared
to the heart rending images of children
dying of starvation in parts of the world,
makes this reality of food wastage on
Halloween even more repugnant.
Conclusion
Many people argue that Halloween is
about bringing communities together,
meeting neighbours and treating chil-
dren.However,this is no longer the case.
The reality is that Halloween encourages
anti-social behaviour and creates a greedy
and selfish attitude within children.Most
parents supervise their younger children
as they ‘trick-or-treat,’ but safety is a
huge concern for everyone involved in
the traditions of Halloween.As has been
proven in this article, there is nothing
good or positive to be promoted regard-
ing Halloween. The negative influences
and beliefs of those who celebrate this
day of the dead have crept into society
and it has become grossly over-commer-
cialised,with more extreme merchandise
that encourages negative concepts of vio-
lence and death.This does not mean that
people cannot and should not have fun.It
would be ideal if local communities were
to organise their own fun days on dates
apart from Halloween.Such events could
involve the elderly and would mean that
they no longer had to open their doors to
children posing as threats behind menac-
ing masks.
For more information on the origins of
Halloween read,‘Halloween – Harmless
or Harmful Fun’from the October 2011
issue of The Review of Religions.
About the Author: Navida Sayed is a long
serving member on the Editorial Board of The
Review of Religions and is currently Editor of the
Christianity Section. She has been the Coordinator
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Women’s
Research Team UK since 1992, whose work has
predominantly revolved around Biblical studies.
endnotes
1. “Son Kills & Decapitates Mother
In What Witnesses Thought Was A
Halloween Prank,”The Huffington Post,
last modified October 30, 2014, http://
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/10/30/
son-kills-decapitates-mother-witnesses-hallow-
een-prank_n_6073540.html.
2. “The History of Samhain and Halloween,”
The Pagan’s Path, last modified October 13, 2009,
http://www.paganspath.com/magik/samhain-
history.htm.

16. Scott Gordon,“Confession: Horror
Movie Gave Teen Idea to Kill Family,”
NBCDFW, publication date January 24,
2013, http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/
Confession-Horror-Movie-Gave-Teen-Idea-to-
Kill-Family-188296041.html.
17. Kathy Landin,“5 Horrible Accidents
People Thought Were Halloween Displays,”
Total News Wire, publication date October 23,
2014, http://totalnewswire.com/halloween-true-
stories-of-tragedy/?trackback=tsmclip.
18. Bourree Lam,“Wait, Americans Spend
How Much on Halloween?,”The Atlantic, pub-
lication date October 21, 2014, http://www.
theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/
wait-americans-spend-how-much-on-hal-
loween/381631/.
19. Tom Bawden,“Save Our Pumpkins: UK
wastes 18,000 Tons of Food While Carving
Halloween Jack O’Lanterns,”Independent,
publication date October 27, 2014, http://www.
independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/
news/save-our-pumpkins-uk-wastes-18000-
tons-of-food-while-carving-halloween-jack-
olanterns-9820896.html.
20. “Hunger Statistics,”World Food Programme,
accessed October 2, 2015, http://www.wfp.org/
hunger/stats.
Your feedback is
important to us
Write to us with comments,
feedback and suggestions at
info@Reviewof Religions.org
In recent times vested interests have
launched a ‘crusade’ against Islam.
Islam is labelled as a religion of terror,
backwardness and suppression.
Based on Quranic teachings, the author of
this book goes about disproving these notions
and professes that Islam provides practical
solutions to current issues; and argues that:
(1) Swords can win territories but not hearts,
forces can bend heads but not minds; (2) The role
of women is not of concubines in harems nor a
society imprisoned in the four wall of their houses;
(3) Richer nations provide aid with strings attached
and yet the flow of wealth continues to be in the
direction of the rich while the poorer sink deeper
in the red; (4) Religion does not need to be the
predominant legislative authority in the political
affairs of the state; (5) Irrespective of the thawing
of the cold war, the issue of war and peace does not
only hang by the thread of superpower relationship.
(6) Without God there can be no peace.
It also contains comprehensive discussion
on interest; financial aid; international
relations; and the role of Israel, America and
the United Kingdom in a new world order.
The message of this book is timeless and chalks
a blue print for the future prospects for peace.
Read online: http://www.alislam.org/books/
Purchase print copy: http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html
20 The Review of Religions | october 2015

The Birmingham Qur’an Manuscript
A Qur’an manuscript held by the University of Birmingham
has been placed among the oldest in the world thanks to
modern scientific methods. Radiocarbon analysis has dated
the parchment on which the text is written to the period
between 568 and 645 CE with 95.4% accuracy. Researchers
conclude that the Birmingham manuscript is among the
earliest fragments of the Islamic holy book known to survive.
The Birmingham Qur’an manuscript is on public display
for a limited time only.The exhibition is ticketed and time
slots will be allocated. For more information and to book
your tickets, please visit www.birmingham.ac.uk/quran
Copyright: © Cadbury Research Library
2-25 October 2015
Bramall Music Building,
University of Birmingham

The
Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
( g u i d e d o n e )
founder of
the review of religions
No true Muslim has ever believed that Islam should be spread by the
sword. Islam has always been propagated through its inherent quali-
ties.Those who, calling themselves Muslims, seek to spread Islam by
means of the sword are not aware of its inherent qualities and their
conduct resembles the conduct of wild beasts.[1]
The Holy Qur’an clearly forbids the use of force for the spread of the
faith and directs its propagation through its inherent qualities and
the good example of the Muslims. Do not be misled by the notion
that in the beginning the Muslims were commanded to take up the
sword. That sword was not taken up for the spread of the faith, but
in self-defence against the enemies of Islam and for the purpose of
establishing peace and security.It was no part of the purpose of taking
it up to have recourse to coercion in the matter of faith.[2]
There is no compulsion in Islam. There are only three types of wars
in Islam:
(1) Those undertaken in self-defence.
(2) Those undertaken as chastisement for aggression.
(3) Those undertaken for the establishment of freedom of conscience,
that is to say for breaking up the strength of those who inflicted death
upon such as accepted Islam.
As Islam does not permit the use of force or coercion for the purpose
of its propagation,it is altogether vain and absurd to wait for a bloody
Prohibition of the
Use of Force

Mahdi or a bloody Messiah; for it is not possible that anyone should
appear who should convert people to Islam by the sword contrary to
the clear teaching of the Qur’an.[3]
endnotes
1. Tiryaq-ul-Qulub, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 15, p. 167 (Eng.Translation, The Essence
of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 325).
2. Sitarah Qaisariyyah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 15, pp. 120-121 (Eng.Translation,
The Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, pp. 325 – 326).
3. Masih Hindustan Mein, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 15, p. 12 (Eng.Translation, The
Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 326).
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:
www.alislam.org/books/
Or purchase here:
store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html

The rise of ISIS (also known as Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria), an Islamist ter-
rorist group that pledged allegiance to
Al-Qaeda in 2004 and proclaimed itself
to be a worldwide caliphate last year in
June, vowing to establish a so-called
Islamic State governed by Shariah law
in Iraq and beyond coupled with the
surge of other extremist groups such as
Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al Shabab
in Somalia, has brought complex ques-
tions regarding Shariah to the forefront.
In contemporary discourses and nomen-
clature, Shariah has been perceived as
inter alia, dogmatic and misogynistic,
propagating a radical and violent ideol-
ogy. These claims have been cemented
by an increasing number of extrem-
ist Muslims donning suicide vests, and
Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia
denying women the right to even drive.
Against this backdrop, along with mod-
erate Muslims hailing Islam as a religion
of peace, it begs the question: are such
depictions of Shariah a genuine reflection
of Islamic teachings? Perhaps these man-
ifestations of the divine law are motivated
by other factors masquerading as religion.
The term Shariah’s etymological roots
reveal how the practice of Shariah has
fallen far short of the term’s meaning in
letter and spirit. According to the Hans
Wehr Arabic to English Dictionary,
the term Shariah is derived from the
Arabic verb shara’a and is connected to
the notion of ‘spiritual law’ as ordained
in the Holy Qur’an.[2]
Defined literally,
however,the term means ‘the path leading
to the water.’ In this sense, it is symbolic
of a source of spiritual life and rejuvena-
tion.Tracing the historical development
of Shariah,Abdullah Ahmed An-Na’im
notes that, “…the origins, nature, and
context of the development of Shariah was
itself conditioned by the historical context of
early Islamic societies of the Middle East.”[3]
Shariah: A Semantic
Oxymoron?
by Ayesha Mahmood Malik, Tilford, UK
This article is a modified and abbreviated version of a paper the author
presented at the Annual BRISMES Conference at the London School of
Economics in June 2015. [1]
In contemporary discourses
and nomenclature, Shariah
has been perceived as
inter alia, dogmatic and
misogynistic, propagating a
radical and violent ideology.
These claims have been
cemented by an increasing
number of extremist Muslims
donning suicide vests, and
Muslim countries like Saudi
Arabia denying women
the right to even drive.
© Shutterstock | alexskopje

influence across the Muslim world today.
Therefore, the mutation of the concept
of Shariah in various schools of jurispru-
dence began as early as the third century
of Islam,and continues today within the
ever-expanding body of Islamic sects
adding insult to injury, the manner in
which Shariah has been fashioned and
implemented in most constitutions in the
Muslim world, being largely used as a
political ploy, exemplifies how its lexical
richness has been reduced to a mere oxy-
moron. Blanket impositions of Shariah
at the constitutional helm, making it
either “a”or “the”source of all legislation
with no consideration to whose version of
Shariah is being espoused,overlooks the
grass roots where there might exist scores
of varying interpretations of Shariah,
which lend no allegiance to the form of
Islamic law enforced.[4]
Such constitu-
tional clauses (in Middle East and South
Asian constitutions) call for a single,uni-
versally accepted version of Shariah to be
enforced,whereas in reality no such defi-
nition exists. These questions of Islamic
relativism were clearly manifested in the
drafting of the Iraqi constitution, post
Saddam Hussein. It has been reported
that the “debates regarding the word-
ing of the shariah provision were among
some of the most contentious of the entire
constitution-writing process, not so much
due to substantive disagreements, but more
due to different interpretations of Islam
among different people.”[5]
Moreover,con-
stitutional implementations of Shariah
have also revealed how the divine law
has undergone a process of politicisation
and has become a tool whereby partisan
agendas maybe levied upon people in the
guise of religion.This was vividly epito-
mised by Pakistan’s Hudood Ordinances
in the seventies that effectively imported
the Islamic law on adultery into rape.[6]
In certain parts of the Muslim world,
the imposition of Shariah law has led to
dangerous consequences, with religious
minorities being routinely marginal-
ised and persecuted. This was evident
in the Pakistani Supreme Court case
of Zaheeruddin versus The State, which
concerned the vires of Ordinance XX
(that was promulgated under the mili-
tary dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq
and criminalised certain activities of a
minority Muslim sect deemed heretical
by mainstream Muslims, who refer to
themselves as Ahmadis).[7]
Justice Abdul
Qadeer Chaudhry, who delivered the
majority judgment, invoked the law on
trademarks and copyrights to claim that
since “certain religious terms [were] peculiar
to Islam” they could be protected “by the
As An-Na’im goes on to explain, the
four Sunni schools of thought: Hanafi,
Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali, emerged
from a practice common among com-
munities living in the first few centuries
of Islam,which would refer questions to
their preferred scholar (someone who
was deemed well-versed in the inter-
pretation of the text of the Holy Qur’an
and Sunnah [the traditions of the Holy
Prophet Muhammadsa
]) for guidance.
Consequently, the four Sunni schools
were named after each of their founding
fathers and continue to exert territorial
The reduction of Shariah to
a mere political gizmo to
sanctify despotic regimes
and the development of a
pernicious ideology by Islamic
fundamentalists, starkly
contrasts to the Qur’anic
teachings of justice, as the
cornerstone of government.
© Shutterstock | picturepartners

provision “may know one another” points
to the notions of social cooperation and
cohesion in order to establish a just soci-
ety.[15]
An implementation of Shariah per force
is also paradoxical from the perspective
of what Shariah denotes for the lives of
billions of Muslims. A sizable chunk of
Shariah deals with inherently personal
matters including worship (ibadah)
and behaviours of morals and manners
(adab) and beliefs (i’tiqadat).These mat-
ters constitute a universe in themselves
and form part of an inherently private
sphere of individual life that no religious
police (particularly the state) should ever
enforce. Such matters are then privy to
the realm of being between God and
man – yet self-appointed fatwa-givers
claim to have appropriated the divine
charge of enforcing such norms. Such
authority was denied even to the Prophet
Muhammadsa
himself,God proclaiming
that he was but an “admonisher”who had
“no authority to compel” people.[16,17]
This
is in line with the general principle of
the Qur’anic message that there is “no
compulsion”in matters of faith.[18]
Indeed, it is with the pursuit of justice
coupled with a commitment to safe-
guarding the individual rights of all
people, that the process of crafting a
constitutional framework in the Muslim
world should be perceived.Paradoxically,
in jurisprudential theory, the purpose of
Shariah is to protect the welfare of people
and places an obligation on the govern-
ment to fulfill the necessities (daruriyyat),
needs (hajiyyat), and luxuries (kamali-
yyat or tahsiniyyat) of all its subjects
in descending order of importance.[19]
Governments in Muslim countries today
present the antithesis of the jurispruden-
tial obligations that an application of
Shariah warrants. A genuine commit-
ment to the implementation of Shariah in
light of the justice it exhorts would entail
political, social, economic and religious
equality across denominations. A par-
tial and blanket enforcement of Muslim
law on non-adherents makes a travesty
of justice and of Shariah itself. For the
establishment of peace in Muslim-
majority countries today, the growth
of the increasingly pernicious ideology
among Muslim jurists as the true warders
of religion, must be tackled. Preserving
the sanctity of Shariah in modern times
despite this ideology, presents the most
formidable challenge today.
About the author: Ayesha Mahmood Malik is
a Contributing Editor of “islawmix” – a project
incubated at the Berkman Center for Internet
state from being used by other religious com-
munities.”[8,9]
Malaysia, too, has shown a
drift towards Islamisation notwithstand-
ing its otherwise multicultural outlook,
with the Malaysian Court of Appeal in
2013 precluding the Catholic newspaper
The Herald from using the term ‘Allah’
to denote God in its newsletter, arguing
that the term belonged exclusively to the
Muslim faith.[10]
The state of the Muslim world champion-
ing the cause of Shariah is paradoxical on
many levels,with Shariah being reduced
to a political tool to legitimise unjust
and authoritarian governments with no
concession being made to cater for the
conundrum of relativity that confounds
Shariah law today, and with a propen-
sity exhibited by radical Islamist clerics
to monopolising a singular and violent
interpretation. The result is effectively
theological anarchy. Most profoundly,
the situation is paradoxical because it
runs contrary to the essence and spirit of
Shariah as ordained in the Holy Qur’an.
The reduction of Shariah to a mere polit-
ical gizmo to sanctify despotic regimes
and the development of a pernicious ide-
ology by Islamic fundamentalists,starkly
contrasts to the Qur’anic teachings of
justice, as the cornerstone of govern-
ment. Justice has, as Khaled Abou El
Fadl,professor of law at the University of
California School Of Law,writes,played
“a central role in the Quranic discourse.”[10]
The Qur’anic injunctions on the dispen-
sation of justice envision the formation of
an impartial and egalitarian arrangement
of social and political institutions.[12]
Notably, the Holy Qur’an endorses the
values of diversity and social coopera-
tion, which are vital for implementing
justice in society.The Holy Qur’an actu-
ally speaks of diversity and difference as
a merciful gift to mankind, stating as
Fadl expounds that,“the reality of human
diversity is part of the divine wisdom and
an intentional purpose of creation: ‘If thy
Lord had so willed, He could have made
mankind one people . . . (11:118).’”[13]
Most
significantly,the Holy Qur’an states that
God grouped people into various tribes
and nations so that they “may know one
another.”[14]
Jurists have reasoned that the
© Shutterstock | corund
shariah: a semantic oxymoron?

www.soas.ac.uk/cimel/materials/intro.html.
9. Id.
10. See generally, Ayesha Malik,“Malaysia’s
Dangerous Path Towards ‘Allah,’”
Oxford Human Rights Hub Blog (Dec
19, 2013), http://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/
malaysias-dangerous-path-towards-allah/.
11. Khaled Abou El Fadl,“Islam and the
Challenge of Democracy,”Boston Review
(April 1, 2003), http://bostonreview.net/
archives/BR28.2/abou.html.
12. For some examples on general Qur’anic
commandments on justice, see e.g. Chapter 5,
Verse 9, Chapter 4, Verse 136 and Chapter 16,
Verse 91.
13. Fadl, supra note 10.
14. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Hujurat, Verse 14.
16. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Fajr, Verse 22.
17. Id.
18. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 257.
and Society at Harvard University and aimed at
bringing clarity to Islamic law in the news. She is
also the Law & Human Rights Section Deputy
Editor at The Review of Religions. Her writings
have appeared in the Oxford Human Rights Hub
Blog, the Cambridge Review of International
Affairs Blog and the Harvard Human Rights
Journal Online. She holds an LLB (Hons) from the
University of London and an LLM from Harvard
Law School.
endnotes
1. Ayesha Malik, BRISMES Annual
Conference 2015, British Society for Middle
Eastern Studies, http://brismes2015.com/
panel-2g-gods-chosen-peoples-historical-
perspectives-on-islam-and-liberation/.
2. New World Encyclopedia contributors,
Shariah, New World Encyclopedia, (Aug 29,
2008), http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/
entry/Shariah.
3. Abdullah Ahmed An-Na’im, Toward an
Islamic Reformation: Civil Liberties, Human
Rights and International Law 52-62 (1990),
cited in Abdullah Ahmed An-Na’im, Islamic
Foundations of Religious Human Rights 337, 342
(1996) chapter in Religious Human Rights in
Global Perspective (J. Witte, Jr. and J.D. van der
Vyver eds.) (1996).
4. For an analysis of such provisions, see e.g.,
Clark B. Lombardi, Constitutional Provisions
Making Shariah ‘A’or ‘The’Chief Source of
Legislation: Where did they come from? What
do they mean? Do they matter?”28 American
University International Law Review 733 (2013).
5. Ashley S. Deeks & Matthew D. Burton,
Iraq’s Constitution: A Drafting History, 40
Cornell International Law Journal. 1, 5-6
(2007), cited in Lombardi, supra note 16 at 764,
n. 107.
6. See e.g. Martin Lau, Twenty-five Years of
Hudood Ordinances – A Review, 64 Wash. &
Lee L. Rev. 1291 (2007). Of the most con-
troversial of these Ordinances was the Zina
Ordinance that effectively criminalised all sexual
intercourse outside a legally valid marriage. In
particular as Lau notes that,“By creating the
new offenses of adultery and fornication, the Zina
Ordinance caught women who had suffered rape in
an insidious legal trap. A rape victim who pressed
charges risked prosecution for extra-marital sex,” id
at 1297.
7. Zaheeruddin versus The State, 1993 SCMR
1718.
8. Martin Lau, The case of Zaheer-ud-din v. The
State and its impact on the fundamental right to
freedom of religion, Cimel Yearbook Vol. 1: Islam
and Fundamental Rights in Pakistan, https://
shariah: a semantic oxymoron?
Your feedback is
important to us
Write to us with comments,
feedback and suggestions at
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After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz
and Surah Al-Fatihah,Hazrat Khalifatul
Masih Vaba
said:
“In the Holy Qur’an in Surah Al-Kahf
Allah the Almighty has mentioned the
Christian youths who lived during the
first few centuries of Christianity. From
those verses we learn how those early
Christian youths sought to safeguard
their faith and how they sincerely prayed
to God Almighty to remain steadfast on
their religion and faith.Both covertly and
through other means they were able to
protect their faith from the opposing
forces of the worldly monarchs and pow-
ers of that era. Continually they prayed
that Allah enable them to remain firm
in their belief and their religion,because
they knew that without His help this
Connecting
to Khilafat:
From those verses we learn
how those early Christian
youths sought to safeguard
their faith and how they
sincerely prayed to God
Almighty to remain steadfast
on their religion and faith.
Both covertly and through
other means they were
able to protect their faith
from the opposing forces
of the worldly monarchs
and powers of that era.
A Guidance for
Today’s MuslimYouth
Address by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba
at the Concluding
Session of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Ijtema UK
2015 in Islamabad, UK.
MKA is an international Muslim youth organisation
united under the spiritual leadership of the Khalifah of the
Promised Messiahas
, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

youth and in fact all Ahmadis that they
must seek to guide the people of these
nations towards true Islam. This should
be your foremost goal and ambition and
it can only be achieved through prayers
and heartfelt efforts. It is your duty to
inform the world that the Holy Qur’an
has given the world a timeless and com-
plete teaching for all of mankind. As I
have said, the decline of Christianity
is certain and all other religions except
Islam will also slowly lose their value. In
fact all of the Prophets who came before
the Holy Prophetsa
prophesied that their
religions would gradually deteriorate
and ultimately reach their end. This is
because Allah the Almighty has decreed
that Islam is destined to prevail and will
never end InshaAllah.
In the Holy Qur’an,Allah the Almighty
has made many promises to the believ-
ers.For example he has stated that as He
revealed the Qur’an,he would safeguard
it and protect it Himself. And so today
after a period of more than 1400 years we
see that Allah has not let a single dot or
comma of the Holy Qur’an be changed
or amended in any way.
The original text stands as it always has
and always will. Apart from the original
was not possible. As long as they main-
tained their union with God, their
efforts proved successful and they did
not allow the opposition and persecu-
tion they faced to weaken their faith or
to concern them unduly. Their one and
only priority at that time was their faith.
However, when the kings and leaders of
that era came to accept Christianity and
Christians gained worldly power, it led
to a gradual deterioration of their faith
over time. Materialism took precedence
in their lives and the strength of their
faith continually weakened.In the name
of freedom and prosperity they allowed
their faith to wane. They let the attrac-
tion of the world and material values take
precedence over their religion.Thereafter
their faith remained only in name. It
is true that Christianity continued to
spread and develop.However,what they
achieved thereafter was worldly suc-
cess rather than spiritual enlightenment
and progress. It is for this reason that
very recently the former Archbishop of
Canterbury has said that the decline and
disinterest in Christianity has reached
such a level that he fears that Christianity
is just one generation away from extinc-
tion.He expressed his concern that other
religions would supersede Christianity
and in particular he spoke of his fear that
Islam would come to dominate.
We should reflect upon this and real-
ise that the decline and circumstances
of other religions and other nations
should be a warning sign and les-
son for us. Unquestionably the decline
of Christianity was bound to happen
because following the advent of the Holy
Prophetsa
,Islam alone was that true reli-
gion which spread and its victory was
decreed. At a time when non-Muslims
are openly expressing their fears that
Islam will prevail, both here and fur-
ther afield, I would remind our Ahmadi
When the kings and
leaders of that era came to
accept Christianity and
Christians gained worldly
power, it led to a gradual
deterioration of their faith
over time. Materialism took
precedence in their lives and
the strength of their faith
continually weakened.
connecting to khilafat
Saint Pierre Church in Antakya (Hatay) Turkey.
This cave, which was used by by the very first
disciples, is one of Christianity’s oldest churches.
© Shutterstock | Prometheus72

and those conditions would have to be
met if this blessing and favour was to
remain. One major condition is that the
reward of Khilafat would be given to
those who worship Allah the Almighty
and accept no partners for Him. They
must be regular in prayer and pay full
attention to fulfilling the rights of wor-
ship. They must offer the Zakat and be
fully obedient to the Holy Prophetsa
of
Islam.Thus according to these conditions
believers must worship Allah alone and
be fully obedient to His messenger.They
must be devoted to prayer and be ready
for financial sacrifice for the sake of their
faith. Only then will they be deserving
of this reward. Therefore how fortunate
are we that today it is the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community alone upon whom
Allah has bestowed this great reward of
Khilafat.
text in the form of the book there are
hundreds of thousands of people who
have committed the entire Holy Qur’an
to memory and have learnt it exactly as it
was first revealed to the Holy Prophetsa
.
Recently, an ancient copy of the Holy
Qur’an was discovered and it was said
to be from the 8th
century. Certain his-
torians sought to use this discovery to
discredit Islam, by claiming that the
Qur’an in its current form was first
exhibited at that time and so they said
that Muslims were wrong when they
asserted that the Qur’an was revealed at
the time of the Holy Prophetsa
.However,
upon further research and analysis it was
proved that the Qur’an they discovered
was from the 6th
century and not as origi-
nally thought. Hence, while they sought
to prove that the Qur’an,God forbid,had
not existed in its current form from the
outset, their own research later proved
this to be entirely wrong. Therefore, the
pronouncement of Allah that He would
protect the Qur’an and never let it be
changed or abrogated has been proved
true in the most glorious fashion.
Another promise Allah has made in the
Holy Qur’an is regarding the latter days
whereby He vowed to send a person as
a true devotee of the Holy Prophetsa
to
rejuvenate and revive the original teach-
ings of Islam in the latter days. We
Ahmadi Muslims are truly fortunate that
we, or our ancestors, have seen the signs
in favour of that person who was sent
by Allah as the Promised Messiah and
Imam Mahdi.And so we have been able
to accept him. Thus we are being help-
ers and recipients of the blessings and
rewards foretold by Allah in the Qur’an
regarding the latter days and whose true
interpretation was given to us by the
Holy Prophetsa
. Another promise made
in the Holy Qur’an is that the institu-
tion of Khilafat will be established to lead
and guide the Jama’at of the true believ-
ers. However alongside this promise of
Khilafat,certain conditions were attached
Recently, an ancient copy
of the Holy Qur’an was
discovered and it was said
to be from the 8th century…
upon further research and
analysis it was proved that
the Qur’an they discovered
was from the 6th century and
not as originally thought.
Old copy of The Holy Quran
© Shutterstock | nuttakit

its teachings,religion and the Shariah are
now complete and will remain until the
Day of Judgment. Muslims therefore do
not need to be concerned that their reli-
gion will die away or will become extinct.
Yet certainly I am continually concerned
and worried about the youth. I do not
want even a single one of our young-
sters to move far away from his or her
faith because that would be a means of
wasting their lives and being devoid of
the blessings and rewards of Allah the
Almighty. There is no doubt that our
Jama’at is divinely supported and it is due
to the help of Allah that each year hun-
dreds of thousands of people are joining
Ahmadiyyat and accepting it as the True
Islam.Their spirit and their passion is an
example for others,whereby they entered
the Jama’at with a heartfelt pledge that
they will forever serve Ahmadiyyat.
Many people,in particular in Africa and
Arab countries, have written down and
documented how they came to accept
Ahmadiyyat. They speak openly about
how they were not compelled by any
physical force rather they were spiritually
guided towards Ahmadiyyat and its truth
soon became clearly apparent to them.
Their sole motivation and prayer was
to become the recipient of the bless-
ings Allah as promised to believers in
the Holy Qur’an. In this era there are
people across the world who are coming
to realise that it is only the Ahmadiyya
Community that remain steadfast
upon the true teachings of Islam. They
acknowledge that it is our Jama’at
which is spreading the true Islam and is
offering a very great service to the true
religion. To give one example a young
person from a city in the Ivory Coast
called Bassam, narrated that previously
All of these matters should motivate
Ahmadis to continually analyse and
reflect upon their personal states to see
if they are following the commands of
Allah the Almighty.
It is the task of our youth and our next
generations to set aside material desires
and values and instead become devoted to
their faith so that our future generations
are also deserving of the rewards of Allah
Almighty.I have already mentioned how
the Christians of today are moving far
away from the religion to the extent
that their church leaders are becoming
extremely anxious and concerned. They
are openly considering the possibility
that very few Christians will remain
and even that the Church could eventu-
ally completely disband. This belief and
worry is justified because the attempts
to save the Church are purely based on
their worldly and material efforts. They
do not have divine protection support-
ing them and a promise from God to
shield their religion. On the other hand,
Allah the Almighty has promised that
He will uphold and protect Islam. Allah
has said in the Holy Qur’an that through
The Christians of today
are moving far away from
the religion to the extent
that their church leaders
are becoming extremely
anxious and concerned.They
are openly considering the
possibility that very few
Christians will remain and
even that the Church could
eventually completely disband.
Richly decorated interior of Church in Europe.
© Shutterstock | Petr Jilek

of MTA and become attached to it.With
the Grace of Allah, many excellent pro-
grammes on different topics and issues
are now being produced by MTA. You
should watch them and learn Islam’s
perspectives and viewpoints on differ-
ent issues so that your knowledge of the
religion increases and InshaAllah this will
be a means of increasing your bond with
Islam and the Jama’at.
As I said before there are many people
who narrate their feelings or experiences.
Another example is of a man from Mali
who was interviewed by the Ahmadiyya
radio station. He said that upon hearing
the message of Ahmadiyyat on the radio
he felt as though he had learnt of Islam
for the very first time. He said that he
now realised that all of what he heard
about Islam in the past had no value or
importance. He said he felt as if he had
been born again through the teachings
of Ahmadiyyat.Thus the youth of today
must learn about their religion and seek
to increase their faith rather than being
consumed by worldly affairs.
As mentioned earlier,Allah has promised
that He will always protect Islam and so
there is no doubt that people will con-
tinue to join Ahmadiyyat and become
true servants of their faith. However all
of you,most of whom are born Ahmadis,
must ensure that you are also amongst
the fortunate people who are the inheri-
tors of Allah’s bounties and rewards.
You must ensure that you gain true reli-
gious knowledge and insight so that
you can personally serve Islam and be
amongst those who stand at the forefront
defending it.Do not wait or hesitate,but
rather step forward today as true serv-
ants of the Promised Messiahas
and be
among those people who earn the spir-
itual rewards of today and the hereafter.
Remember that we should become as
the Promised Messiahas
desired us to
become. And that is the same as what
Allah the Almighty and His messen-
ger desired from us. In this era Allah
sent the Promised Messiahas
to estab-
lish a Community that would protect
Islam and so to serve and protect Islam
today, it is essential that we attach our-
selves to the Promised Messiahas
and act
upon his teachings. With great urgency
said that if his
Community had not been founded,then
there is no doubt that Islam would have
been destroyed, because of the wrong
interpretation of Muslim clerics about
Islam. However Allah’s grace and mercy
manifested itself upon Islam at the time
of its darkest hour and so He established
he was a non-Ahmadi Muslim and had
always felt a keen interest in Islam. He
used to go to non-Ahmadi mosques but
became very disheartened when he saw
that Muslims were often involved in per-
sonal disputes; this caused him a great
deal of pain and regret. With the grace
of Allah after some time he was intro-
duced to the Ahmadiyya Community
and so he used to offer his Salat in our
mosque and would listen to the local
Darsul Qur’an [Qur’anic lectures] and
the local Ahmadis preached to him.Soon
he realised the truth of Ahmadiyyat and
did Bai’at (oath of allegiance). However
upon accepting Ahmadiyyat he did not
stop and think it was enough; rather, he
diligently started watching MTA in the
local mosque and became so motivated
that he saved money over the course of
the next few months and installed a sat-
ellite dish in his home. He said every
programme he watched increased his
faith in Ahmadiyyat.
Although he is a French speaker he
even watched programmes that are not
in French and memorised MTA’s exact
schedule. He says that in particular he
feels great contentment and is reassured
whenever he watches my sermons or
other similar programmes. Thus every
Ahmadi Muslim should recognise the
blessings that Allah has granted us and
never take them for granted.
Gradually the world has passed through
various eras, according to the prophecy
of the Holy Prophetsa
,and now Islam has
entered the era of the everlasting Khilafat
that Allah has promised. Thus every
Ahmadi youth should seek to develop
their bond with Khilafat and to follow
the example of that young man from
the Ivory Coast – who says he has never
ever missed a sermon or programme
of Khalifatul Masih and that when he
watches them,he always finds points that
further increase his faith. All Ahmadi
youth should therefore alter their pri-
orities and be truly grateful for the gift
Allah has bestowed upon us in the shape
With great urgency the
Promised Messiahas
said that
if his Community had not
been founded, then there is
no doubt that Islam would
have been destroyed, because
of the wrong interpretation
of Muslim clerics about Islam.

concept of Jihad and martyrdom; this
is leading to countless innocent people
being murdered or being treated in the
most inhumane way. The young people
who are being radicalised are frustrated
and restless individuals and initially at
least,many have a genuine desire to serve
Islam. But it is their ill-fortunate that
they are being taken advantage of and
are being sent to create disorder in the
name of an entirely senseless and false
Jihad.On the other hand the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community,under the guidance
and leadership of Khilafat is spreading
a message of love, affection and peace
throughout the world. We are doing
this because the Promised Messiahas
has proved this to be the true Islam. In
Europe, North America, Africa, South
America, Australia, Asia and all other
parts of the world our Jama’at is united
under the banner of peace.Our message
remains the same no matter where we
are.
In the last few years there has been
increased media interest in our Jama’at
in the West. Here in the UK, in the
US and indeed elsewhere, the media
is actively reporting upon our Jama’at.
They acknowledge that the Ahmadiyya
Community is spreading peace and
goodwill and that Ahmadis claim to be
motivated by Islam and Islam alone.
Every Ahmadi Muslim youth should
the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in
order to revive it. And with the mercy
and help of Allah, the history of the
Ahmadiyya Jama’at testifies to the fact
that despite continued persecution and
opposition,the message of the Promised
Messiahas
has reached every corner of
the world. Indeed today the world’s
educated and respected people openly
acknowledge that only the Ahmadiyya
Community is presenting the true picture
of Islam.If we look at the current state of
the world, we see that on the one hand
brutal cruelties and injustices are being
perpetrated in the name of Islam and in
the name of ‘Khilafat.’Young people are
being misguided and radicalised. They
are being completely misled about the
TheAhmadiyya Muslim
Community, under the
guidance and leadership
of Khilafat is spreading a
message of love, affection
and peace throughout
the world. We are doing
this because the Promised
Messiahas
has proved this
to be the true Islam.

personal state. Satanic influences are
attacking Islam both from within and
from outside. There is conflict within
the Muslim world whilst the powerful
opponents of Islam are happily stoking
fires of hatred and creating unnecessary
disorder in the Muslim world. It is the
ill-fortune of the Muslims of today that
they do not realise this and are letting
the external forces divide them. Thus
Ahmadi youth must pledge that they will
be a shield protecting Islam and prove
to the world that it is a religion of peace.
They must be determined in this effort
to highlight the true teachings of Islam
and be ready for every effort and sac-
rifice in this noble cause. Furthermore,
has also said
that the reason Allah established the
Ahmadiyya Community was because of
the increasing distance between man-
kind and God Almighty. The means of
reaching God were becoming hidden and
so the Promised Messiahas
was sent by
Allah to shine a light upon them. Thus
our Ahmadi youth must seek to recog-
nise their Creator and reform themselves.
Only then will they be able to play their
roles in illuminating the pathways
reaching Allah the Almighty. Unless an
Ahmadi strives for this there is no benefit
for him taking the Bai’at and he will fail
to discharge his duties to Islam.
If our Ahmadi youth fail in this mission
then they will follow the path of those
early Christians who despite being ini-
tially passionate about their faith, later
moved further and further away from
their teachings, to the extent that today
the Church is concerned about its very
existence. Young Ahmadis living in the
West must never allow the materialism
of the world and the luxuries or latest
technologies to distract them from their
religion.Rather,we should always seek to
adopt those paths that lead only to Allah.
To achieve this you must read the books
because his
words and teachings are our gateways to
God Almighty.The Promised Messiahas
has very clearly said that there is only one
way for a person to gain a true bond with
therefore seek to spread the true message
of Islam wherever they are. In the time
, people were
leaving Islam or were becoming trapped
in the grip of extremist clerics. The
Promised Messiahas
warned that if this
state of affairs was allowed to continue
then it would lead to the destruction
of Islam and today Islam continues to
face the same struggles. Therefore it is
our duty as followers of the Promised
Messiahas
to defend Islam from those
who seek to destroy it. Certainly the
opponents of Islam will never be success-
ful InshaAllah because Allah has Himself
promised to protect it. Nevertheless, our
Ahmadi youth should be at the forefront
of defending Islam’s true teachings.This
weekend you have held your Ijtema
here in Islamabad, and similarly the
Khuddamul Ahmadiyya in the United
States have held their national Ijtema
and are listening to my address today
directly through MTA.Thus today,all of
you should make a firm pledge that you
will be the people who will seek to pro-
tect Islam from all of the attacks it faces
and you will be the people who seek to
spread its peaceful teachings far and wide.
We are truly fortunate that the Promised
Messiahas
left his Jama’at with so much
beautiful and detailed guidance.Thus in
order to defend Islam, you must keep in
view what he required from his follow-
ers and what his expectations were. In
one place he wrote that this is the era of
a spiritual war and a war between good
and satanic influences has started. He
said that satanic influences would use
everything at their disposal to attack and
defeat Islam.And so that was why Allah
established the Ahmadiyya Community
to defeat his influence once and for all.
Thus when an Ahmadi youth takes
the Bai’at (oath of allegiance) of the
Promised Messiahas
, with the intention
of becoming a true Muslim, they must
continually pay attention to their own
It is our duty as followers of
to
defend Islam from those who
seek to destroy it. Certainly
the opponents of Islam
will never be successful
InshaAllah because Allah
has Himself promised to
protect it. Nevertheless, our
Ahmadi youth should be at
the forefront of defending
Islam’s true teachings.
If our Ahmadi youth fail in
this mission then they will
follow the path of those early
Christians who despite being
initially passionate about their
faith, later moved further
and further away from their
teachings, to the extent that
today the Church is concerned
about its very existence.

defaming it. Certainly such people are
a cause of great harm to their religion.
Thus today I ask all of you to make this
pledge that our Ijtemaat [gatherings] will
lead to our spiritual enhancement.Pledge
that you will be the ones who guide the
world towards spirituality and towards
God Almighty.
Today the world is looking in the direc-
tion of our Jama’at in order to see the
true teachings of Islam. This is some-
thing I see myself during my various
tours abroad. Hence, we must prove to
the world that our words are not hol-
low; rather, we must prove we are living
our lives as true ambassadors of peace
and beacons of the true teachings of
Islam.No Ahmadi Muslim ever needs to
become victim to any form of inferiority
complex, because we have reason, logic,
evidence and above all the truth on our
side. In conclusion, I say once again that
you must all seek to build your personal
relationship with Allah and always seek
to attain His nearness.May Allah enable
all of you to be successful and to follow
what I have said today; may all of you
prove to be shining examples of the truth
of Islam InshaAllah.
Various asylum seekers migrated here in
recent years, who although may under-
stand English to a degree,have issues that
directly affect them.Thus I would like to
remind them that their true purpose of
coming here was that they were deprived
of the right in their countries to wor-
ship or practise their religion.Some were
directly affected by this or some observ-
ing [the persecution] of others, were
unable to bear it.They therefore decided
to leave Pakistan and migrate to other
countries. Thus you came here because
of Ahmadiyyat; because of the true Islam
that teaches to not create disorder in the
world, but rather to spread peace, love
and affection.As you left the country on
this basis, you should always remember
to keep this in mind that as you migrated
here for the sake of God and because
Allah and that is by attaching himself
with full loyalty, obedience and sincer-
ity to the Promised Messiahas
and his
Jama’at.
He said that every person of his Jama’at
was to remove selfishness and personal
ego and instead hold firm to the Oneness
of God. In just a few days the blessed
month of Ramadan is beginning and
Ramadan is always a very good oppor-
tunity to reach Allah and acquire His
nearness. Thus apart from fasting you
should engage in the worship of Allah
as much as possible and read the Holy
Qur’an and seek its insight and knowl-
edge. Do not ever think that to merely
accept the Promised Messiahas
and take
his Bai’at,is enough; rather it is essential
that every Ahmadi forms a bond with
Allah and seeks true righteousness.This
is why the Promised Messiahas
has said
that until his Jama’at adopts righteous-
ness or Taqwah it cannot attain success
and salvation. Thus you should always
seek to improve yourselves and to be true
Ahmadi Muslims. Every single one of
the youth should seek to protect his or
her faith and to always maintain a direct
connection with Allah the Almighty.
Do not follow the example of those peo-
ple who upon attaining worldly pleasure
and power do not follow their faith. Do
not follow the example of those peo-
ple who over time forgot their Creator.
Rather you should be those who truly
fulfil the conditions of Bai’at, because
to fulfil the pledge is essential. May
Allah grant all of you the ability to act
upon what I have said and may all of
the Khuddam who are listening to me
here in the UK,or United States or else-
where, always remember that they must
always give precedence to their faith
over all worldly matters. May you be
counted among those youth who fulfil
their responsibilities of reforming their
people and be at the forefront of helping
their nations to progress. I pray that you
are never amongst those youth who are
a burden on their nation and a means of
Thus apart from fasting
you should engage in the
worship of Allah as much as
possible and read the Holy
Qur’an and seek its insight
and knowledge. Do not ever
think that to merely accept
and
take his Bai’at, is enough…
We must prove we are living
our lives as true ambassadors
of peace and beacons of the
true teachings of Islam. No
Ahmadi Muslim ever needs
to become victim to any
form of inferiority complex,
because we have reason,
logic, evidence and above
all the truth on our side.

you did not enjoy religious freedom,thus
it is your duty that you should always
remember God and seek His pleasure.
It is also necessary for you to fulfil the
right of the worship of God. It should
not be the case that you only pray in
utmost humility as long as your asylum
case is pending, and once it is accepted
-you gain employment and your financial
situation improves-then you forget God
altogether.There are some like this, they
forsake all their responsibilities and for-
get the favours of God.God’s favours on
you are all because of the Jama’at that you
experienced better circumstances after
migrating here. The majority have been
granted financial affluence since mov-
ing from Pakistan. So always remember
that you should become grateful to God
and gratitude to God entails follow-
ing His commands and enhancing your
relationship with the Nizaam [adminis-
trative system of the Community] and
with Khilafat.Remember your duties and
do not limit practising them to only the
Ijtema days or a short time.Instead,con-
stantly remind yourself of them and bring
yourself to realise what they are; that we
must display complete obedience with
Khilafat and the Nizaam so we can prop-
erly serve Islam Ahmadiyyat. Similarly
strive to establish your personal examples
in every matter. Here, after your asylum
case is accepted, some avail of benefits
and other facilities. You should partake
of these benefits only within the realms
of the law and honesty. Do not try to
receive benefits through falsehood and
deception. If you resort to falsehood it
would be giving falsehood equal status to
God and God has declared falsehood as a
form of Shirk (associating partners with
God). And so save yourself from these
false and superficial gods, and instead
submit to the living God Who is ever-
lasting and eternal. He alone will fulfil
all your requirements InshaAllah. May
Allah the Almighty grant everyone the
ability to do this. Now please join me in
silent prayers.”
Always remember that you
should become grateful
to God and gratitude to
God entails following His
commands and enhancing
your relationship with the
Nizaam [administrative
system of the Community]
and with Khilafat.
The official website of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community worldwide.
You can find a huge collection of free online
material, including translation and commentary
of the Holy Qur’an and you can access literature
of the Community including the books written
by its founder, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
.
www.alislam.org
52 The Review of Religions | october 2015

The Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
The Prophetsa
Enters Makkah
“The arrangement was full of wisdom. When Muslims were persecuted
in Makkah, Bilalra
, one of their targets, was dragged about the streets by
ropes tied to his legs. Makkah gave no peace to Bilalra
, but only physical
pain, humiliation and disgrace. How revengeful Bilalra
must have felt on
this day of his deliverance.To let him avenge the savage cruelties suffered
by him in Makkah was necessary, but it had to be within the limits laid
down by Islam.Accordingly,the Prophetsa
did not let Bilalra
draw the sword
and smite the necks of his former persecutors.That would have been un-
Islamic. Instead, the Prophetsa
handed to Bilal’sra
brother the standard of
Islam,and charged Bilalra
with the duty of offering peace to all his former
persecutors under the standard borne by his brother.There was beauty and
appeal in this revenge.We have to picture Bilalra
marching in front of his
brother and inviting his enemies to peace. His passion for revenge could
not have lasted. It must have dissolved as he advanced, inviting Meccans
to peace under a standard held aloft by his brother.”[1]
“As the Prophetsa
was passing, Abu Sufyanra
raised his voice and address-
ing the Prophetsa
said,‘Have you allowed the massacre of your own kith and
kin? I heard the commander of the Ansar, Sa’dra
and his companions say so.They
said it was a day of slaughter.The sacredness of Mecca will not avert bloodshed
and the Quraish will be humiliated. Prophetsa
of God, you are the best, the most
forgiving, the most considerate of men.Will you not forgive and forget whatever
was done by your own people?’
Abu Sufyan’sra
appeal went home. Those very Muslims who used to be
insulted and beaten in the streets of Makkah,who had been dispossessed
and driven out of their homes, began to entertain feelings of mercy for
their old persecutors. ‘Prophetsa
of God,’ they said, ‘the accounts which the
Ansar have heard of the excesses and cruelties committed by Meccans against us,
may lead them to seek revenge. We know not what they may do.’
The Prophetsa
understood this. Turning to Abu Sufyanra
, he said, ‘What
Sa’dra
has said is quite wrong. It is not the day of slaughter. It is the day of for-
giveness. The Quraish and the Ka’bah will be honoured by God.’” [2]
© Masood T
1. Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra
, Life of Muhammadsa
(UK: Islam International Publications Limited, 2013), 157-158.
2. Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra
, Life of Muhammadsa
(UK: Islam International Publications Limited, 2013), 159-160.

O
ver the past few months, ISIS,
ISIL, IS or whatever popu-
lar acronym attributed to this
organisation, has initiated a siege on an
entirely new front. This specific attack
has caused no deaths and no casual-
ties, no refugees have emerged not even
a single drop of blood has been shed.
There have however, been beheadings,
usage of weaponry and heavy machinery,
large-scale destruction and lasting dam-
age to civilisations.It is cultural heritage
that has become the latest target of the
ISIS war machine. Artefacts, statues
(some of which have been beheaded),
temples, palaces and cities from ancient
empires, have fallen under threat to this
campaign to ‘cleanse’lands of idolatrous
worship and false deities.The outcry over
this particular channel of destruction
appears somewhat strange in its con-
text.We know that an entire population
is suffering; large swathes of people are
brutally being murdered, and the degra-
dation of civil society in Iraq and Syria
has led to a mass migration of millions,
the like of which the world has not wit-
nessed since World War II.Yet,as I check
the news this morning, the websites of
Islam’s Response
to the Destruction of
Cultural Heritage
by Rizwan Safir, London, UK
It is cultural heritage that has
become the latest target of the
ISIS war machine. Artefacts,
statues (some of which have
been beheaded), temples,
palaces and cities from ancient
empires, have fallen under
threat to this campaign to
‘cleanse’ lands of idolatrous
worship and false deities.
Ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra - Syria.
© Shutterstock | seb001

necessary to look into effective means of
stopping ISIS on a practical level, other
than simply dropping bombs, entering a
short-term military conflict and repeating
the vicious cycle again.Two key elements
require immediate attention in order to
frame this discussion, both of which are
integral when attempting to grasp the
key concerns surrounding the current
fixation with ISIS and how to prevent
it.The first issue is one which has been all
but neglected. It concerns the very root
cause of this supposed campaign,yet sur-
prisingly few are willing to address it and
almost deliberately bypass it. ISIS pro-
claims that what they are undertaking
is a truly Islamic campaign; a campaign
which adheres to the closest,most ortho-
dox version of Islam that an individual
can subscribe to. Hence, it becomes
necessary to assess what Islam’s attitude
towards ancient monuments and archae-
ology truly is; to unequivocally relegate
ISIS’s activities to nothing but gratuitous
barbarity, diametrically removed from
any interpretation of Islamic scripture.
The second issue displays the undeniable
hypocrisy of ISIS, but equally provides
an embarrassing indictment to Western
incentives over such conflicts. Second
only to oil, the sale of archaeological
artefacts represents a huge stream of
income for ISIS, estimated at around
$200 million annually.[1]
ISIS masquer-
ades itself as a destroyer of polytheistic
religious symbolism on the surface, but
equally profits from the sale of such reli-
gious iconography to fuel its campaign.
Perhaps the most surprising revelation
is where these illegally sold artefacts are
ending up, or rather who is responsible
for creating this highly profitable black
market for ISIS. The answer is certain
groups in Europe and the USA. As will
be detailed,elite circlesoperate within the
very nations which appear most appalled
by ISIS’s activities, which also happens
to be the same body of nations which
are attempting to lead the literal fight
against ISIS.[2]
This article will attempt to
the BBC,Al Jazeera,Sky News and vari-
ous other prominent outlets present the
dismantling of a millennia old palace at
Palmyra as their lead story.
Can,what are essentially bits of old stone,
really take precedence over human life?
Why are we so concerned with monu-
ments of the past, when suffering of an
unimaginable scale transpires right now?
As an archaeologist,the relevance of such
questions is heightened in times of war.
Having worked across the Middle East
on archaeological sites and been part of
the thorough and meticulous process of
recording and documenting our ancient
past,to see and hear about such symbolic
monuments of humanity’s history perish
in an instant,is devastating.Nimrud and
Palmyra represent two such sites which
have lately been thrust into the media
spotlight.Perhaps both were not publicly
known,but ask any archaeologist and he
will immediately surrender in awe at the
architectural magnificence of both these
sites, and similarly surrender in shock at
the outcome they have faced. So where
does this leave us? The simple answer to
the above question is ‘no’; no monument
or artefact can be substituted for human
life. However, the longer answer merits
discussion because the very legacy of
civilisations and cultures of the past are
at risk; civilisations and cultures which
shape our world today.
To enter into a long discussion on the
importance of preserving our ancient
past on a philosophical and ethical level
would not assist anyone’s cause.It is now
Nimrud and Palmyra
represent two such sites
which have lately been
thrust into the media
spotlight. Perhaps, both
were not publically known,
but ask any archaeologist
and he will immediately
surrender in awe at the
architectural magnificence
of both these sites…
Palmyra Ruins - Syria
© Shutterstock | Adwo

name of Allah is oft commemorated...”[4]
Here, the preservation of holy and
revered buildings of worship is clearly
outlined.The above specifically refers to
followers of Christianity and Judaism;
both faiths are highly respected in Islam.
But what of the non-monotheistic and
polytheistic religions, and their status
within the Holy Qur’an? The following
verse provides an insight:
“And if anyone of the idolaters ask protection
of thee, grant him protection so that he may
hear the word of Allah: then convey him to
his place of security…”[5]
Not only are peaceful negotiations
encouraged between believers of poly-
theistic doctrine, but their protection
is also mandatory. It becomes a duty
incumbent upon a believer to ensure the
protection of those who seek it.Nowhere
is it permitted for inanimate objects
and sanctuaries of different faiths to be
actively sought out and demolished.
Let us turn to the second most impor-
tant source of Islamic teachings after the
Holy Qur’an; that of the Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
and his collection of say-
ings referred to as Hadith.The Prophetsa
categorically outlines the strict rules of
assess the above and present some of the
arguments put forward to counter ISIS,
and will consider how we may intervene
before the fragments of stone which
stand as a testimony to human ingenu-
ity, culture, development and creativity,
are lost forever.
Iconoclasm: Justified in Islam?
The perpetual need to speak out against
ISIS as un-Islamic is becoming tedi-
ous and frustrating. It should, by now, It
should, by now, be universally accepted
that while the followers of ISIS claim
to be Muslims, their actions are in stark
contrast to any teaching of Islam.The
easiest argument to prove this is the
fact that ISIS has murdered far more
Muslims than any other religious group.[3]
Yet, every expression of their actions
seems to necessitate Muslims to speak
out, including their iconoclastic pur-
suits. Iconoclasm is literally the action
of destroying iconography, which ISIS
believes falls under its remit and within
the teachings of Islam. So let us look
at the evidence, both past and present,
and more pertinently within the most
important scripture of Islam, the Holy
Qur’an, to see whether their claims are
substantiated.
The evidence is compelling and can be
summarised as follows: the protection of
property and particularly places of wor-
ship of any faith is not only encouraged
but considered a religious obligation in
Islam.The following are some examples
from within the Holy Qur’an, the book
which Muslims believe takes precedence
over all other teachings:
“And if Allah did not repel some men by
means of others, there would surely have
been pulled down cloisters and churches
and synagogues and mosques, wherein the
It should, by now, be
universally accepted that
while the followers of ISIS
claim to be Muslims, their
actions are in stark contrast
to any teaching of Islam.The
easiest argument to prove
this is the fact that ISIS has
murdered far more Muslims
than any other religious group.
Palmyra Ruins - Syria
© Shutterstock | Adwo
islam’s response to the destruction
of cultural heritage

hometown of Makkah, where the sym-
bols and icons of that oppressive regime
were destroyed as part of the strategy
to allow for a peaceful coexistence. We
find parallels throughout history, even
in a modern context, where the symbols
of an oppressive regime are often dis-
mantled to enable peaceful continuity.
Hence, the symbols of Nazi Germany
were systematically removed following
World War II, or that of apartheid from
South Africa. Recently, the confederate
flag was removed from several southern
states in America for this very purpose,so
that an undeniable icon of slavery was no
longer flown high and considered an item
of pride. Within that context, there can
be little grounds for the argument that
Muslims were not justified in doing so.
Perhaps the best possible example is
looking at the history of the Middle East
under Islamic rule. Looking at why, for
example, centuries of Islamic rule has
preserved and maintained the hotbed
of ancient archaeological sites within
the broad expanse that is the Middle
East. Why were the Pyramids of Giza,
the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia,the tem-
ples of Luxor and the plethora of similar
sanctuaries which revere other forms of
worship, not actively destroyed? Instead
they flourished and were studied for
warfare and mentions the criteria which
must be adhered to when undertaking
military conflict:
“You will meet those who remember
Almighty Allah in their houses of worship.
Have no dispute with them, and give no
trouble to them. In the enemy country, do
not kill any women or children, or the blind,
or the old. Do not pull down any tree; nor
pull down any building.”[6]
“No bishop will be expelled from his bishop-
ric, no monk from his monastery, no priest
from his place of worship, and no pilgrim
will be detained in his pilgrimage. None of
their churches and other places of worship
will be desolated or destroyed or demolished.
No material of their churches will be used to
build mosques or houses for the Muslims; any
Muslim doing so will be regarded as recal-
citrant to Allah and His Prophet.”
The teachings of Islam in regard to
cultural heritage and monuments are
explicitly clarified here. Not only are
women, children, the elderly and the
disabled exempt from any harm in the
context of war, but even trees, property
and of course places of worship, are off
bounds. Where then does ISIS seek its
justification? The example commonly
cited is that of a very particular context
and period of time. It is the example in
which the early followers of Islam were
under intense persecution and suffer-
ing.They endured immeasurable cruelty
for simply following their beliefs. Even
moving away from the persecution and
migrating to another city proved unsuc-
cessful, as armies were raised and sent
to pursue the resettled Muslims, who
refused to retaliate and instead sought
to find solace in prayer and spirituality.[7]
Only when the persecution had reached
such a severe extent that the very reli-
gion faced an existential threat, was the
approval for defence ordained by God,
and only to the point of alleviating perse-
cution.These Muslims,who managed to
defeat their oppressors,returned to their
“You will meet those who
remember Almighty Allah in
their houses of worship. Have
no dispute with them, and
give no trouble to them. In
the enemy country, do not
kill any women or children,
or the blind, or the old. Do
not pull down any tree; nor
pull down any building.”
quickfacts
• The global sale of illegal
archaeological artefacts is
estimated to be over $6 billion.
• ISIS currently controls some
12,000 key archaeological sites
within their territory.
• Revenue generated from
the sale of illegal artefacts is
the second most source of
income for ISIS after the sale
of oil.
• Current estimates put ISIS’s
profit from ancient materials at
around $200 million a year.
• Much of these artefacts are
illegally trafficked into, and
sold in, Europe and the UK

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, the
true Khalifah says:
“Islam’s message of peace is universal, which
is why our motto is Love for All, Hatred for
None.”[9]
Similarly whilst the so-called ‘Khalifah’
of ISIS proclaims:
“We are calling on you either to join or carry
weapons [to fight] wherever you are.”[10]
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, has
said:
“If any Church or other place of worship
stands in need of protection, they will find us
standing shoulder to shoulder with them.”[11]
The above statement answers the ques-
tion of Islam’s perspective on cultural
heritage in a modern context most
definitively.The Islamic injunctions listed
previously, both from the Holy Qur’an
and the teachings of the Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
, only align with one of
these individuals. Hence, the discussion
of iconoclasm and Islam’s true teachings
regarding it should be left with no ambi-
guity whatsoever. The only ambiguity
within the mind of a Muslim, objec-
tively speaking, should be to address the
following question: To what extent can
I help prevent the systematic destruction
of cultural heritage? One of the potential
answers is discussed below.
Profitable Archaeology
Having clarified Islam’s stance on cultural
heritage, what of the cultural herit-
age industry itself? The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization or UNESCO estimates
that the illegal trafficking of artefacts is
second only to that of drugs, at a global
worth of over $6 billion.[12]
There should
be no illusion that this is not a highly
profitable business, and one which ISIS
has been quick to identify and benefit
from.ISIS,which has grown at an expo-
nential rate, is dependent on avenues of
funding to support and sustain its efforts
across Iraq and the Levant. However, to
receive funding it must rely on suitable
buyers. A black market has been created
for the sale of materials, which ISIS has
the ability to tap into on a regular basis.
This scenario is by no means unique to
this current conflict.Amidst the Iraq war
in 2003,an estimated 15,000 works of art
were looted from the Iraq Museum and
channelled into Europe and the US.[13]
Similar estimations are made of artefacts
from Afghanistan during the succession
of wars which have ravished the country
furthering our understanding of math-
ematics, astronomy, architecture and art.
Had there been any justification within
Islam to destroy such monuments, or
rather had it been a religious obligation,
this entire debate would be redundant,
as there would be no ancient heritage for
us to now mourn over. ISIS, despite its
false name as an ‘Islamic State’, should
undeniably be categorised as a purely
political,profit-making organisation,one
far removed from any Islamic teaching.
From ‘Caliph’ to Caliph
It is also necessary to assess the response
of the Muslim Community to this recent
cultural destruction. The calls against
ISIS and the measures needed to pre-
vent their spread; have been constantly
reiterated by the foremost figurehead
in Islam today. There are currently two
individuals claiming to be leaders of
the Muslim World, yet their behaviour
and words are so diametrically opposed,
they represent such polar opposites,
that any sane, truthful individual would
have no hesitancy in seeing which of
the two holds legitimacy to the claim.
Unlike the so-called ‘Khalifah’ of ISIS
– a man who prides himself on spread-
ing destruction at a relentless pace and
scale – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad,
Khalifatul Masih Vaba
, Fifth Successor
to the Promised Messiahas
and Head
of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, has taken it upon himself
to spread the true, spiritual and loving
message of Islam on a worldwide scale,
in a peaceful manner. Hence, when the
so-called ‘Khalifah’of ISIS says:
“Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam
is the religion of fighting.”[8]
UNESCO estimates that the
illegal trafficking of artefacts
is second only to that of drugs,
at a global worth of over
$6 billion.There should be
no illusion that this is not a
highly profitable business, and
one which ISIS has been quick
to identify and benefit from.
British museum. Hunting relief from Palace
of Assurbanipal in Nineveh, Assyria
© Shutterstock | IR Stone

The Review of Religions October 2015

The Review of Religions October 2015

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The Review of Religions October 2015