Vol. No. 14, Issue Nos. 7July 2018

IN MEMORY OF JALAL-UD-DIN AKBAR IBN-I ABDULLAH, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Editor: Nasir Ahmad B.A. LL.B.

MOTTO ISLAM: I SHALL LOVE ALL MANKIND

laa t

ahzan inn-nal laa-ha ma-’a-naa

LOGO OF THE LAHORE AHMADIYYA MOVEMENTLOGO: INN-NAL LAA-HA MA-‘A-NAA (ALLAH IS WITH US).

These words of the LOGO are mentioned in the Qur’an (9:40). In fact these words were uttered by the Holy Prophet (sas) in reply to the grave concern expressed by Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) when the search party of disbelieving Quraish of Makkah was standing right at the foot of the cave Thaur where the two were hiding prior to their onward journey to Medina.

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History tells us that when the Quraish of Makkah came to know that the Holy Prophet (sas) has se-cretly left Makkah and was fleeing towards Madinah, a search party set off to find him. The searcher took the party right upto the cave Thaur, wherein the Holy Prophet (sas) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) were hiding. When Hazrat Abu Bakr felt presence of the party right at the mouth of the Cave, he became gravely concerned and expressed the same to the Holy Prophet (sas). The Holy Prophet (sas) in a very composed manner reassured him with these words: “Abu Bakr, Don’t be afraid of. Certainly Allah is with us.” (The Qur’an 9:40).

In December 1965 when the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman was celebrating its Golden Jubilee, Mr. Nasir Ahmad who was, at that time, in charge of the Programme, came up with the idea of adopting these words as a Logo of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman. It was then just an individual idea. Later on, in the year 1973, on the eve of the Annual Gathering, it was embroidered on velvet and was presented to all the participants specially to groups from Holland, Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname. Gradually people appreciated the idea and now it has become official logo of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman.

These words bear a religious significance also. History takes us back to the time of Prophet Isaiah, when for the first time the Hebrew word “Emmanuel” was uttered by him prophesying the ad-vent of prophet Jesus for the reformation of the Children of Israel. References in the Old and New Testaments are as follows:

“Immanuel (Hebrew:עִמָּנוּאֵל) means, “God with us”. It when romanized (Emmanuel, Imanu’el) is a Hebrew name which appears in the Book of Isaiah as a sign that God will protect the House of David.

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” ( Isaiah 7:14).

(Note: In the older English language version of the Bible, it says “a virgin”, but in later versions it has been rendered more correctly as“a young woman”).

It has been further clarified and fulfilled in the words of Matthew: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us ” (Matthew 1:21-23).

It is evident that God through prophet Isaiah assures divine protection to Prophet Jesus against murderous plots and persecution planned against him and his disciples. The history of Christianity stands witness that Prophet Jesus did survive the accursed death on the Cross and his disciples were able to spread Christianity in the world and now it is one of the great religions of the world. Above all, the Holy Qur’an predicted more than 2017 years ago through the tongue of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) that God will grant predominance to the followers of Jesus over its enemies, the Jews, till the Day of Resurrection, “When Allah said, O Jesus, I will cause you to die and exalt you in

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my presence and clear you of those who disbelieve, and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve to the day of Resurrection” (3:55).

The verse of the Holy Qur’an was also revealed to the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. Just as the Jewish Messiah came to clean the Children of Israel from evil practices and lack of spirituality and faced bitter opposition and persecution at the hands of Jews, similarly Messiah of Islam prophesied by the Holy Prophet to encounter the onslaughts of the Church of Christianity against Islam and its Holy Founder faced the same fate and Allah assured him of His Help and Support.

After the horrifying disturbances in 1953 which were leashed against the Ahmadis in Pakistan when Martial Law was imposed to maintain law and order in Punjab, this motto was adopted as a symbol of divine assurance and also to show determination of the Ahmadis to carry on the Mission of de-fence and spreading of Islam in spite of the grave situation and tribulations ‘with the help of Allah’ and it promises that message of Islam will ultimately prevail. Amin.

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NELSON MANDELA’S DREAM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY 4IN THE NAME OF ALLAH .. TWO INDISPENSABLE KEYS TO SUCCESS 6Maulana Muhammad Yakub Khan

DAILY LIFE AND GRACE OF ALLAH 8Riaz Ahmadali, Suriname

FAITH AND EDUCATION LEAD TO POSITIVE ATTITUDES IN LIFE 9Mudassar Aziz, UK

COMPLAINING AND SPIRIT OF RAMADAN 14Inshaal Ahmad, UK

VITALITY OF EDUCATION 16Humaira Ahmad, UK

EID AL-FITR AT THE SYDNEY LAHORE AHMADIYYA CENTRE, AUSTRALIA 18Samir Khan, Australia.

REPORT FROM THE BERLIN MOSQUE, GERMANY 19Imam Amir Aziz, Berlin, Germany

GLIMPSES FROM SYDNEY 21GLIMPSES FROM BERLIN 22

PageCONTENTS

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NELSON MANDELA’S DREAM FOR THE 21TH CENTURYA THOUGHT FOR THE MUSLIM UMMAH TO RETHINK THEIR

POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS STRATEGIES

(July 18th, 2018 marks the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela. This provides a unique op-portunity for people around the world to reflect on his life and times and to promote his legacy. Below a summary of his speech at the Parliament of World Religions, December 5, 1999.)

Internecine strife“Even in the closing decade of the century, we have witnessed how internecine strife degenerated into genocide with former neighbours participating in the slaughter of each other. This century, unfortunately, had too many leaders attempting to exploit communal differences for their own po-litical ends. We have had men who were so arrogant that they wanted to conquer the world and

8TH SEPTEMBER 2018Long Night of Religions

8TH & 9TH SEPTEMBER 2018Monument Open Days

Coming Events at the Berlin Mosque

ON BOTH DAYSEnjoy presentations about the History and activities of The

Berlin Mosque and The Teachings of Islam and its attitude Towards Other religions

BH TRANSCRIPTION SERVICEGOOD NEWS FOR COMPOSING AND TRANSCRIPTION

English and Urdu Matter and AudiosCompatible Rates

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turn human beings into their slaves. Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon and Hitler are some examples. But it was the ordinary people, not kings and generals, it was the ordinary people who put an end to those dictators. And it is for that reason that the real leaders of the world are those who for 24 hours a day think in terms of the poorest of the poor. It is those men and women who know that poverty is the single most dangerous threat to society in the world today.

Importance of revival of human behaviour envisaged by the ReligionI must also add that I do appreciate the importance of religion. You’d have to have been in a South African jail under apartheid where you can see the cruelty of human beings to others. But it was religious institutions, Hindus, Moslems, leaders of the Jewish faith, Christians, who gave us the hope that one day we would come out. And in prisons, the religious institutions raised funds for our children who were arrested in thousands and thrown into jail. And many when they left prison had a high level of education because of the support we got from religious institutions. And that is why we so respect religious institutions and we try as much as we can to read the literature which outlines the fundamental principles of human behaviour like the Bhagavad Gita, Koran, the Bible and other important religious documents.

As we approach the 21st century, we cannot but be starkly aware that we stand at a crossroads in our history. The world is still marked by massive inequality. The general citizenry to which we referred — those women, men and children who merely desire and have inalienable right to lead a decent life — continue to suffer deprivation and poverty. In too many parts of the world warfare and violent conflict still reign. The powerful dominate at the expense of the poor and the vulnerable. The symbolic turn of the century calls us to a commitment to make the coming century one in which these and other issues of human development are fundamentally addressed. No less than in any other period of history, religion will have a crucial role to play in guiding and inspiring humanity to meet the enormous challenges that we face.

Challenges of inequalities and indiscrimination needs to be met with on all levelsThe world is undergoing a profound redefinition of values and modes of perception. The globalization of the world economy and the outstanding advances of communications technology have drawn all of us together into a smaller world. Those technical advances might, however, also have contributed to a growing confusion of values as people seek to find their localized places in that globalized world. The escalation of poverty in a world that is at the same time marked by excessive wealth, the suffering and marginalization of vulnerable groups at a time when the concepts of democracy and equality are supposed to have become universal, the growing degradation of the environment often caused by the greed of industrial development. These are but some of the contradictions that at heart are moral and ethical questions. And on the level of personal life as the world supposedly becomes smaller, the loneliness of individual human beings across the globe increases.

Religion faces its own challenges. We have seen how religion at times provided the basis and even gave legitimization to violent expressions of intolerance and conflict. Tragically, religion sometimes seemed to have lost its ability to hold people to good values and to inspire in them those articles and approaches that transcend the narrow and immediate considerations. Religious leaders, institutions and adherents now once more need to draw upon those critical resources that have made it such a central part of human life throughout the ages. Few other dimensions of human life reach such a massive following as the religious. Its roots are in every nook and cranny of society where political

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leaders and the economically powerful have no sway. The religions and faiths of our world have pondered over and listened. Hence the importance to once again draw on those forces of spirituality and innate goodness.

Can religion play its pivotal role of promoting integration and human sympathyNo government or social agency can on its own meet the enormous challenges of development of our age. Partnerships are required across the broad range of society. In drawing upon its spiritual and communal resources, religion can be a powerful partner in such causes as meeting the challeng-es of poverty, alienation, the abuse of women and children, and the destructive disregard for our natural environment.

Source: https://parliamentofreligions.org/parliament/1999-cape-town/nelson-mandelas-speech-1999-parliament

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CHILDREN’S PAGE WHICH ELDERS CAN ALSO READ…

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH ….TWO INDISPENSABLE KEYS TO SUCCESS

IT ALSO STANDS FOR HOPE AND WORK

Maulana Mohammad Yakub Khan

Dear Children,

Whenever a Muslim sets his hand to anything, he does so with the words, Bismillaa-hir Rahmaa-nir Raheem, i.e., In the name of Allah, the Rahman and the Rahim. At least He is expected to do so. This you all know very well, I am sure. But has it ever struck you what the idea underlying this is?

The common idea is that these words are like the enchanted words of ‘open sesame’ which, as the tale goes, open, as soon as uttered, the ‘Iron Gate’ to the rich treasures. Likewise, Bismillah amongst the Muslims is, generally speaking, taken in almost exactly this sense. If there is something hard to do, just say Bismillah, and by some supernatural intervention the thing is done. You may not have the least notion of your subject of study but as soon as you sit for the examination, utter this magic word Bismillah and you begin to do your paper in some unexpected manner. And so on and so forth.

There is no magic in IslamWhenever a Muslim finds himself in a fix, he thinks this open sesame, the Bismillah is sure to extri-cate him. This is the popular notion. Bismillah has become a magic word.

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There is no magic in Islam and such a notion is superstition pure and simple. If you have been idling away your time and energy the year round, Bismillah in the nick of time will not help you. Such a mood or mental frame is, in fact, just the opposite of what the Bismillah itself means. Bismillah sums up a most profound truth and the best of practical wisdom. And if properly understood and acted up to, it does doubtless work as an open sesame, not in a magical manner, but along the common course of nature.

Two indispensable keys to successRahman is the attribute of God which looks to all our needs and requirements and supplies these as a free gift. For instance, our eyes, ears, hands, feet and other faculties are so many free gifts of God. Likewise, there are innumerable things in the external Nature without which we cannot exist, such as air, sunshine, water and so forth. These too have been supplied free. These are the free gifts of Rahman. Life with all its achievements is possible only because Rahman has laid at our door a vast treasure of natural resources. But for iron and coal, for instance, which are Nature´s gifts, there would have been nothing like the present mechanical civilization.

But God does not want us to be doing nothing and having a ready-made dish served us every time we feel a relish for it. That would be crippling us, in body and in mind. Man is required to struggle for existence and through such struggle, he exercises his various faculties of body, head and heart and thus develops these. What is this modern civilization but the result of such effort on the part of man. Man, thus, delves into the forces of Nature, subjugates them to his will and converts this planet into a Heaven. Without such strife and struggle, labour and effort, he would have led a semi-barbarian life of the woods and jungles. This attribute of Providence who has so fixed things as to necessitate effort of the right sort on the part of man in order to achieve a certain end, is expressed by the word Rahim.

Rahman and Rahim are thus the two indispensable keys to success in any sphere of life. Rahman fills us with the hope that whatever we may aim at, Nature has got it in abundance in store for us. This optimism is the first step on the road leading thereto and having found it, tread along it. Thus these two words sum up the whole struggle for existence.

Rahman and Rahim provides divine blessingsHence it is that when a Muslim begins anything, he is supposed to do so with the names of Rahman and Rahim. Rahman is the guarantee that everything he wants is possible of achievement. The word impossible, Rahman reminds him, is not in the dictionary of Nature. Work thus begun, in a spirit of hope and confidence, is, in fact, half-done. Then comes the other half. Rahim brings the sacred gospel of labour, toil, effort, work, strife, struggle, if we must win. No pains, no gains, we are plainly and bluntly told. Thus equipped with this double outlook on life, the outlook of hope and work, a Muslim is supposed to face his daily life and success is bound to kiss his hand.

Let this therefore, be our outlook on entering this new lease of life for another year – 1930. Let us start in the name of Rahman and Rahim, or in plain words – Hope and Work.

(Courtesy: The Light 5 – January 8, 1930)

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A SPIRITUAL NOTE……

DAILY LIFE AND GRACE OF ALLAHRiaz Ahmadali, Suriname

Poem: I knelt to pray...I knelt to pray but not for long,I had too much to do.I had to hurry and get to workFor bills would soon be due.So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,And jumped up off my knees.My religious duty was now done

My soul could rest at ease.All day long I had no timeTo spread a word of cheer.No time to speak of Allah to friends,They’d laugh at me I’d fear.No time, no time, too much to do,That was my constant cry,No time to give to souls in needBut at last the time, the time to die.I went before the Lord,I came, I stood with downcast eyes.For in His hands God held a book;It was the book of life.God looked into His book and said“Your name I cannot find.I once was going to write it down...But never found the time!”

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The Quran teaches us the right attitude to life, among others, in 2:201-202:

“But there are some people who say, Our Lord, give us in the world. And for such there is no portion in the Hereafter.

And there are some among them who say: Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the Fire.

For those there is a portion on account of what they have earned. And Allah is Swift in reckoning.”

(Courtesy: A Spiritual Note, August 3, 2018)* * * *

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FAITH AND EDUCATION LEAD TO POSITIVE ATTITUDES IN LIFE

Mr. Mudassar Aziz

“A place of safety, a place of education, a place which is meant to shelter you from the horrors of the outside world. A place meant to nurture and help grow the minds of the young. These are now the places where you are most likely to see body bags being removed one after another.”

“They are losers indeed who kill their children foolishly without knowledge, and forbid that which Allah has provided for them, forging a lie against Allah. They indeed go astray, and are not guided” (The Qur’an 6:140)

From extremism to violenceOn the 16th December 2014, 7 cowards affiliated with the Taliban walked into a public school in Peshawar, in Pakistan, and opened fire on the staff and children. They killed 132 children, aged from 8 to 18 years of age. 132 children who had gone to school that morning, like every morning, to learn, to be educated. Something which these men hated, something which the Taliban wanted to stop. Something which the Taliban still want to stop. Less than five months later, 5 more cowards who acted under the instruction of Al-Shabaab burst into a College in Kenya, during morning prayers and killed 147 students and teachers and injured 79 others. They had targeted Christians. We have all heard of the Columbine High School Massacre, The Virginia Tech shooting, Sandy Hook Elementary School and just this year the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school shooting and less than a month ago the Santa Fe School shooting. The number of school mass shootings in America is staggering. They account for over 30% of all the world’s mass shootings! Here in the UK, due to the strict gun laws we are very lucky, but even we have faced up to the heartache and grief of seeing children killed in a mass shooting. In 1996 the Dun Blane School massacre claimed the lives of 17 children. Extremists of all faiths and cultures and backgrounds targeting small children and students, and the truly depressing thing is that we know that this will never stop and that there will be more shootings in schools this year, and next year and the year after that around the World.

Are Educational Institutions the breeding ground for killing innocent students?A recent study at the University of Alabama by Professor Adam Lankford found that in the United States you have a greater chance of dying in a mass shooting in school than in any other walk of live. It is a truly shocking find. Statistically amass 1 shootings in America is most likely to lead to the deaths of small children, who had gone to school to learn. In these countries, what these vile men (and almost always men) have done is create a sense of fear around education. A worry that at any moment my child could be killed because I sent him to learn. How can it be possible that in 2018 in America you’re most likely to die in a school. A place of safety, a place of education, a place which is meant to shelter you from the horrors of the outside World. A place meant to nurture and help grow the minds of the young. These are now the places where you are most likely to see body bags being removed one after another.

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Plan to destroy educational institutions?Education is the one thing that all extremists are truly afraid of. They fear an educated population who understand the nuances of their religion and they fear an educated population who look out-wards to aspire to achieve great things and progress society and progress their communities. They want their notoriety to be that they instilled fear into the hearts of people. They robbed us of our children, of their futures - because we dared to educate them.

I started by mentioning the Taliban and the shooting in Pakistan, and the last thing that their claim is that they want a society deeply educated in the Holy Quran, a society that can reconcile the religion with modern day life, a society that can move forward together as one for the mutual benefit all people, whether rich or poor, whether educated or not. The verse I read out, verse 140 of Chapter 6 is in relation to people who sacrificed children in the names of Gods, thinking that this would please their Gods, but in fact it seems entirely inappropriate here. Uneducated, brainwashed men who thought they were doing God’s work by killing these children. As the verse says: “They forged a lie against Allah, they did go astray and they are not the guided.

Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan was shot in the face when she was 13 or 14 years old by the Taliban. Her crimes were that, number 1, she was going to school, and no. two, that she was a vocal advo-cate to educate girls. She recovered and came to England for intensive rehabilitation and is now an activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. Since then she has had an audience with President Obama where she confronted him on the use of drones in Pakistan. She raised money to rebuild 65 schools in Gaza and is now back in Pakistan tirelessly working for the right to education for girls. In March this year she was interviewed by David Letterman and he asked her about the attackers and she said “I forgive them because that’s the best revenge I can have”. Faith and education lead to a response like this. The Holy Quran gave her the power to overcome and become the person she is today. At 20 years old she is one of the people I admire. So my speech today, is about education. And how, in the context of our religion, the pursuit of education is critical and is mandatory for Muslims.

How the Qur’an promotes knowledgeOne point of evidence of this is that the word knowledge, in all its various contexts, is one of the most used words in the Holy Quran. Now most people I know, most Muslims I know have decided to put a fence around this and narrow the boundaries of this down to only gaining knowledge of our sacred text, or just being educated in the Holy Quran and the various other books built around our religion. I have yet to come across anyone who has been able to fully justify this stance, but yet this does not stop people repeating this.

An education of our religion is extremely important. ISIS and Al-Qaida are a perfect example of groups who abuse the fact that some Muslims do not know their own religion and who then teach these people a twisted version of the religion to further their political agenda. And the detractors of Islam use the very same tactic to breed hatred for Muslims. Some who learn about our religion from Fox News and some who simply memorise an Ayat or two and quote them out of context to try and prove their non-existent point. Islamophobia is rampant around the World, and especially in the West. We have a situation now where people like Donald Trump can stand in front of the nation and say that he wants to ban ALL Muslims from coming to America and he gets cheered.

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Right here in the UK the Conservative Government have a problem with rampant Islamophobia within its ranks. So Muslims are fighting a battle on two fronts - One from extremists like ISIS who want to use us to win power and one from extremists like Donald Trump who wants to use us to win power. And some Muslims sometimes react with violence because they love their religion but don’t know how to protect it from these attacks. But if they knew their religion they would know that Allah warns us about groups like ISIS. Groups who use our religion for their own gain. Chapter 6, verse 144 in part says: Who is then more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah to lead men astray with-out knowledge? Surely Allah guides not the wicked people.” And then we are warned about how we should react to provocation and are warned about our reactions. The Qur’an says: “And how can you have patience in matters in which you do not have a comprehensive knowledge?”(18:68). We are being warned that we could turn to violence or aggression if we do not understand our religion and will not be able to argue against our detractors with patience in our minds and peace in our hearts. So a proper education in our religious text is extremely important. That doesn’t just mean memorising the Holy Quran in full, or simply listening to your local Imam, but it means reaching out to as many learned people as possible, to read as many varied books about Islam, books that both praise, explain and yet also criticise our religion, so that we can be prepared to answer people back, not with violence or aggression but with clear logical arguments and statements of fact.

But is that all that is expected of us as Muslims? Just to be well educated in our religious text? The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “Travel in search of knowledge, even if it takes you to China.” So it is clear that he is saying ‘seek and absorb’ as much about the World and how it works as best you can. Do not just restrict yourself to your religious text. The Holy Prophet said two things - He was obviously a Prophet, but he was also a political leader and had to deal with many different tribes and cultures and he understood that to advance as a community, we - the Muslims - needed to be at the forefront of science and technology and medicine. So he made it a duty for Muslims to go out and seek as much knowledge as possible, and in a way which would benefit all Muslims and keep the community together as one. And people took the Holy Prophet’s message about knowledge and fulfilled his command and whilst medieval Europe was stuck in the dark ages, incredible scientific advances were made in the Muslim world.

How far Muslims have progressed in KnowledgeMuslims were developing, what we term now, modern science. New disciplines emerged like alge-bra, trigonometry and chemistry as well as advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, literature, engineering and agriculture to name but a few. Muslims like Al-Zahrawi, a surgeon in Cordoba, who invented many instruments for his surgical work. His work was hugely influential in Europe and many of his instruments are still in use today. Among the best-known are the syringe, the forceps, the surgical hook and needle, the bone saw and the scalpel. Muslim doctors also invented anaesthetics which at the time were made of a mixture of opium and alcohol and developed hollow needles to suck cataracts from eyes in a technique still used today.

Think about that first example for a second. Muslims who are forbidden alcohol and forbidden ad-dictive abusive substances used both to create the first anaesthetic. Imagine the uproar now from the Muslim Ummah if we had invented that now. They would cry it is anti-Islamic and Mullahs from the Middle East would quickly give a fatwa to ban it and those doctors would probably be lynched for doing what they did. Every time you go to Starbucks or Costa Coffee you should be thanking Muslims, as it was an Arab who first boiled the beans to make the drink. The first pinhole camera?

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Invented by a Muslim. Modern chess? The first attempts at a flying machine? The first parachute? Modern day soap? Distillation? The crank shaft? Windmills? All invented or first attempted by Muslims, many hundreds or sometimes thousands of years before Europeans attempted the same. All of these things are of the consequence of following the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet. And only after people lost sight of their religious beliefs and obligations did the scientific achievements of the Muslim world stop and fall into obscurity. All these things though were a long time ago. We don’t look back 30 or even a 100 years to look at the achievements. We really only care about what is happening at this moment, that could improve our lives. And so people ask how have or are we help-ing push civilisation forward now? What are Muslims doing? Well the simple answer is that we are not pushing civilisation forward. I have no doubt that there are Muslims out there right now working with others in science and technology pushing humanity to achieve new things, but as a Nation we are far behind and rely on the Western World for help from medical science to architecture. Whilst India, the USA, Japan and the European Space Agencies have been sending rockets to the moon and Mars, Muslims have been trying to sight the new moon with their eyes and arguing about which day will be Eid.

Priority of a Muslim state – Just enforcement of Shari‘ah by brute force or promotion of Knowl-edge?A truly Islamic Government is required to provide everything it can that promotes a high quality edu-cation for its people. But that is not happening. Why does not Saudi Arabia have the best universities in the World? In 2014 the Saudis proudly said that they had a literacy rate of 96% which sounds great but if you look a bit deeper you see that its education system is based around the study of Islam with a large emphasis on memorising as much of the Holy Quran as possible. Not understanding it, but memorising as much as possible. It has continually been criticised for poorly trained teachers, low retention rates, lack of rigorous standards, weak scientific and technical instruction. A 2011 report said that two/thirds of all graduates earned degrees in Islamic studies. How is that seeking out knowledge? They have such a lack of skills in the country that they import labour to seemingly do everything.

So what about here in the UK? Are things better here for Muslims under a Western education system with the freedoms that we are afforded here? Well, sadly some statistics from the 2011 Census seem to show Muslims are falling behind the UK population in general and other minority religions in ed-ucation and jobs. A report was published about Muslims, in the UK, using data from that census and it showed that the number of Muslims with a degree was at 24%, which was up from 20% in 2001. Now that sounds quite encouraging, except when you look at Sikhs and Hindus… 30% of Sikhs and a staggering 45% of Hindus have degrees in the UK, and the overall UK average is 27%, so Muslims lag far behind. 26% of Muslims in Britain have no qualification at all, but that is an improvement over 2001 when it was a shocking 39%.

And what percentage of Muslims have never worked? 21% compared to the overall UK average of just 4%. And that 21% does not include students. Only 20% according to that census are in full time employment, compared to 35% of the general population and only 29% of Muslim women aged between 16 to 24 are employed at all.

Do any of those statistics show that we are following the words of our Holy Prophet and seeking out knowledge? Of course not. And what is the result? Muslims are poorer, sicker, less likely to own their

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own homes and more likely to live in bad areas. As Britain gets richer, Muslims are sliding down the scale. 46% of Muslims, almost half of all Muslims here live in the most deprived areas of the UK.

A 2013 study found that Muslims are lagging so far behind due to socio economic and religious issues. We live in the poorest areas with parents who speak little or no English. They also indirectly blame religion. Without specifically saying it, the report blames Islam. Despite blaming religion though, overall they found that the same issues which resulted in poorly or badly educated Muslims plague non-Muslims too, who live in similar conditions in the UK. The answer has always been a simple one to understand but perhaps a difficult one to implement. Education. It is the key to helping people achieve the most from their lives. It is the key to stop people being radicalised by groups like ISIS. Half of all Muslims live in the most deprived local authority districts here in the UK, and a third of all

Road to Transformation!I read an excellent quote from A. W Tozer which perfectly sums this up. He said, “We can know the right words but never try to be changed. This is the difference between information and transformation.”’

And once again our Jama‘at, the Lahori group, are leading the way. I have been coming to this mosque since I was born, 39 years, and since I was little I remember every year that the President of the Jama‘at Mrs. Jameela Khan, would stand here and read out the exam results of the students every year. And each and every student achieved excellent results. Going on to become Doctors and lawyers and professors. Professionals who then passed the same demands of achievement on to their children. As parents we have moved houses to make sure our kids get into the best schools.

If we want to usher in the golden years of Islam that pushed the boundaries of civilisation forward then we all need to vigorously follow the proper teachings of the Holy Quran and the demands that the Holy Prophet put on us all. We live in a very fast-moving era of knowledge and education. We live in the time of ‘just Google it’. And we sit there and blindly repeat or copy and paste the information from the first few results. This is how many people put together their objections and in the same way answers about Islam. What people often don’t realise is that Google is not the internet. Google a

Knowledge and understandingAlthough Google does help in providing guide all sorts of material and information from the point of this speech, but is just a search tool. It is a search engine and it uses a few techniques to try and give you the answer it thinks YOU WANT. This is the crucial thing here.

It has millions of bits of information and material. It provides profiles and works out preferences and biases. Thus ‘Google’ gives “answers” based on how we frame our questions and pushes us informa-tion based on our level of our understanding and biases. As a quick example, let us see what sort of guidance and material google search provides. The query is: “is milk good for you” and “is milk bad for you”. It gives dramatically different answers. Google looks at the question of ‘is milk bad for you’ and the algorithms push back the answers it thinks you want to see. In the case of ‘the milk being bad for you,’ it cites PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and warns of “dangerous health problems”. Now for someone ‘not internet savvy’ (and most of them are not, even those who think they have a limited understanding of these algorithms). They could take this as the truth, because in searching for ‘is milk bad for you’ all they are actually doing is trying to confirm it is. Similarly, if you type in, “Why are Komodo dragons endangered”. Google gives the answer as ‘volcanos, fire

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and tourism’. Ok, I guess that seems reasonable, but when you dig deeper into that answer you will see that the source of the information is a Canadian elementary school Students Report which was uploaded online. If you remove the ‘why’ and just search for ‘are Komodo dragons endangered’ then you will get the correct answer which is, No. So you can see how our own unconscious biases and how not asking a question properly can lead to being given the wrong information. I have used the example of milk and Komodo dragons and you can see how easy it is to think you have the correct information, whereas it is nonsense.

Now imagine that same scenario when someone searches Google for information about Islam! You can see how dangerous Google actually can be, and you can also see why we have such a problem with fake news and Islamophobia. Education is the golden bullet which can save humanity. And whether it is ISIS or Trump or the Conservative Government, they all reap the benefits of an under- educated population. So my parting message for you all is: “Travel in search of knowledge, even if it takes you to China”.

A Final word about KnowledgeThis takes me to the very first word of God revealed to humanity: “Read in the name of your Lord Who creates – creates man from a clot… Who taught man what he knew not..” (96: 1-5).

Obtaining of knowledge has been highlighted in the very first revelation. Pease bear in mind that we Muslims believe the Holy Qur’an to be the Final and Complete Spiritual and Physical guidance revealed for Guidance of human beings. The very first word of this Divine Guidance draws our at-tention to the importance of obtaining Knowledge. It also emphasises that it can only be obtained through reading.

Everybody is observing the current menace of ‘mobile use’ which is affecting our new generation and even our own selves. It is affecting our thought-process, our social relations in a big way. Islam has a comprehensive system of providing self-discipline and grooming of moral and social norms through daily prayers, weekly Friday congregations, Fasting and Pilgrimage. It is extremely important that we Muslims should seriously mobilise these institutions to promote knowledge – for progress and prosperity.

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COMPLAINING AND SPIRIT OF RAMADANInshaal Ahmad, M.A. Student (University College of London)

(Edited text of talk delivered at Iftar gathering on May 26, 2018 at the Lahore Ahmadiyya Centre, Wembley, UK)

“Who created death and life that He might try you — which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Mighty, the Forgiving” (Al Qur’an, 67:2).

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Practical lesson of contentment from RamadanToday the topic is about complaining and the way it is linked to the spirit of Ramadan.

What is the situation during the rest of the year? We have everything we need — water, food, and all other essentials — that we are free to use as we please. In the month of Ramadan, however, when we are temporarily deprived of these things, we feel their loss and we realise their importance, and we wonder how we are going to survive without them.

Throughout the world, and not just in the UK, it is very common that we complain about work, about food, about other facilities, and especially in the UK we complain about the weather. We are really a people of complainers.

But what happens in Ramadan? It is in Ramadan that we receive an annual reality check because it is the only time when we go without; then we realise how important something really it is!

“And whatever good you have, it is from Allah” (The Qur’an, 16:53).

Simple things of daily lifeIt is a fact that we often forget or fail to realise the importance of the simple things of life, such as a meal. We don’t even say Bismillah. We don’t even say Alhamdulillah for the food, for the water, for the clothes that we have.

We all know Fasting is not just about food and drink, but it is also abstinence from bad deeds and controlling the eyes, the ears and the tongue. So the objective of fasting is that we should practice the lessons learnt during Ramadan throughout the year, such as controlling our eyes, our tongues and our ears. We should ask ourselves: Why can’t we do these things for the rest of the year, things which would benefit us? So we should always say, let us continue the good habits from Ramadan. So, let this time the Ramadan be different; different in the sense that we adopt as a way of life what we will learn in this month.

Ramadan and sense of realisationAnother thing we do is we complain that we can’t do as much in Ramadan simply because those basic things are taken away from us. And knowing the restrictions placed on us, we still complain. It doesn’t solve anything. What it does is shows ungratefulness for all the blessings that we do have. Still, we complain in our daily conversations with one another. It is something very normal.

Patience and belief in AllahFor example, if you have a problem with a company. They sold a product that didn’t work. You complain to the company. But you also complain to others, who, unless they can actually doing something about it, doesn’t solve anything.

Let me narrate to you a story by Anas ibn Malik, a Companion of the Holy Prophet (saw). The Holy Prophet passed by a woman who was weeping beside a grave. He told her to fear Allah and be

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patient. She didn’t recognise him and told him to go away. She added: “You haven’t been affected by calamity like I have.” After she was informed that it was the Prophet Muhammad she had spoken to, she went to the Prophet’s house and said to him: “I didn’t recognise you.” And the Holy Prophet’s reply was: “Verily, patience is at the first stroke over calamity.”

Your complaints to human beings, as I mentioned previously, can’t do anything about the trials of life which are out of your control. However, turning to Allah is the only recourse you have. The example of Prophet Jacob (as) in the Holy Quran shows us how we should complain, and it should be only to Allah, as He is the Hearing and the Powerful. The Qur’an says that after hearing news about his young son, Joseph, being killed by a wolf, Prophet Jacob said: “I complain of my grief and sorrow only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you know not” (12:86).

So the point is that rather than complaining to other people about problems, we should be looking towards our prayers as the means of solving our problems, when those problems are out of the control of human beings. Because ultimately we come here today wearing clothes from a wardrobe from our house while others have nothing to wear; we all have food for Iftari today while others have nothing to eat tonight; and when we go home we have shelter. So let us stop complaining and start appreciating what we are enjoying, because here is an assurance from our Creator: “When your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I will give you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe” (14:7).

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VITALITY OF EDUCATION

Humaira Ahmad, Student, Reading University, UK

(Text of talk given at an Iftar gathering at the Lahore Ahmadiyya Centre, Wembley, UK.)

Respected elders, brothers and sisters, and children,Assalamo ‘alaikum

Whilst studying at university, the importance of education has only been further cemented. Meeting people from all over the country and even different parts of the world , of different backgrounds and cultures has showed me the vitality of education, in bettering our-

selves as humans.

The field of education, covering ethics, religion, skills and general knowledge, is a very broad and very vital one. The importance of learning in enabling the individual to put his potential to optimal use is self-evident. Without education, the training of the human mind is incomplete. No individual becomes a human being in the proper sense until he has been educated.

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Important role of EducationEducation makes man a right thinker and a correct decision-maker. It achieves this by bringing him knowledge from the external world, teaching him to reason, and acquainting him with past history, so that he may be a better judge of the present. Without education, man, as it were, is shut up in a windowless room. With education, he finds himself in a room with all its windows open to the outside world.

This is why Islam attaches such great importance to knowledge and education. The Qur’an, it should be noted repeatedly asks us to observe the earth and heavens. This instils in man the desire to learn natural sciences. When the Qur’an began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was ‘Iqra!’ that is, ‘Read.’ Education is thus the starting point of every successful human activity.

The Holy Prophet on the importance of KnowledgeAll the books of hadith have a chapter on knowledge (‘ilm). In Sahih Bukhari, an authentic collection of sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, we find a chapter entitled, “The virtue of one who acquires ‘ilm (Knowledge) and imparts it to others.” In the hadith, a scholar is accorded great respect. According to one tradition, ‘the ink of a scholar’s pen is more precious than the blood of a martyr’, the reason being that while a martyr is engaged in the task of defence, an ‘aalim (scholar) builds individuals and nations along positive lines. In this way, he bestows upon the world a real life-treasure.

The very great importance attached to learning in Islam is illustrated by an event in the life of the Prophet. At the battle of Badr, in which the Prophet was victorious, seventy of his enemies were taken prisoner. Now these captives were all literate people. So, in order to benefit from their in-tellect the Holy Prophet declared that if each prisoner taught ten children of Madina how to read and write, that would serve as his ransom and he would be set free. This was the first school in the history of Islam, established by the Prophet himself. It was of no matter to him that all its teachers were non-Muslims, all were prisoners of war, and all were likely to create problems again for Islam and Muslims once they were released. This Sunnah of the Holy Prophet showed that whatever the risk involved, education was paramount.

Islam encourages researchIslam not only stresses the importance of learning, but demonstrates how all the factors necessary to progress in learning have been provided by God. A vital factor is the freedom to conduct research. Such freedom was encouraged right from the beginning, as is illustrated by an incident which took place after the Prophet had migrated from Makkah to Madinah. There he saw some people atop the date palms pollinating them. Since dates were not grown in Makkah, the Holy Prophet had to ask what these people were doing to the trees. He, thereupon, forbade them to do this, and the following year date crop was very poor as compared to the previous year. When the Holy Prophet asked the reason, he was told that the yield depended on pollination. He then told the date-growers to resume this practice, admitting that they knew more about “worldly matters” than he did.

In this way, the Holy Prophet paved the way for the free conduct of research throughout the world of nature and the adoption of conclusions based on practical knowledge and research thereon. This great emphasis placed on exact knowledge resulted in the awakening of a great desire for learning among the Muslims of the first phase. This process began in Makkah, then reached Madinah and

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Damascus, later centring on Baghdad. Ultimately it entered Spain. Spain flourished with extraordi-nary progress made in various academic and scientific disciplines. This flood of scientific progress then entered Europe, ultimately ushering in the modern scientific era.

The golden era of Muslim scientific progress, also known as the golden age of Islam, which got boom in 9th century was dominated by fantastic Islamic scholars who discovered and first applied the principles of mathematics to science. A famous scholar being Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi, who was the pioneer of algebra, made it possible for us to achieve great scientific advancements like travelling to space. Without his work we may not have been able to fly to moon or send satellites to space which now control everything we do.

So, not only should we seek knowledge, but when we learn it, it becomes obligatory on us to practice it. We should apply the knowledge that we have discovered and been exposed to our day-to-day tasks and see how such knowledge can prevent us from making future mistakes or in turn help us through difficult times.

Positive guidance through spiritual disciplineIn not only the month of Ramadan should we further our education spiritually and worldly but throughout our life which will allow us to grow our minds to the full potential Allah intended for us.

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EID-UL-FITR AT THE SYDNEY LAHORE AHMADIYYA CENTRE, AUSTRALIA

By Bro. Samir Khan

It was a cold winter morning but the warmth of the Masjid reminded us why we had flocked together from different suburbs of Sydney in our best attire. It was the joyous festival of Eid-ul-Fitr after 30 days of Fasting. It was a time to give thanks to the Almighty Allah and express joy and happiness at the completion of a month-long spiritual exercise. Young children were running around in excitement and our respected elders were hugging and congratulating their loved ones. The aroma of the food visited our nostrils.

Brother Ameen Sahu-Khan stood up and started the Takbirs which encouraged everybody to join in. Not long after, the Takbir echoed in the Masjid. After a little while, Eid-ul-Fitr prayer commenced. Brother Ameen Sahu-Khan gave the Khutba, reminding us of the significance of Ramadan and how important it is for us to continue with the trend of the Holy month in keeping up with our good deeds.

Imam Ameen Sahu Khan

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The Secretary of the Jama‘at read out to the congregation Hazrat Ameer’s Eid message. Brother Ameen then concluded the official part of the function with a supplication.

The young and old gave each other big hugs and wished everybody well. The morning finished with fellowship and good food, all thanks to the Merciful and Compassionate Allah.

ACTIVITIES AT THE BERLIN MOSQUE, GERMANYREPORT FROM THE BERLIN MOSQUE, GERMANY

Amir Aziz M.A., Imam, Berlin Mosque

Mosque declared as a National MonumentMembers of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement and its well-wishers of the Berlin Mosque will be pleased to know that the Berlin Mosque has been given the status of “National Monument” by the Ministry of Culture and Media, Germany. It is in a way recognition granted to the work of the Mosque for bringing harmony, integration between various social and religious groups in Germany. This announcement will attract more visitors to the Mosque and its message and work will reach wider section of people. God willing the Mosque will play its role more effectively in bringing social and religious harmony in Germany. Germany has in recent years become economic hub of Europe and has welcomed influx of Syrian refugees. Present political leadership in Germany encourages closer cooperation and political understanding among the European countries.

Special Birthday in the Berlin Mosque2 June. Members of the Falk family came to the Berlin Mosque to celebrate 90th Birthday of their head of the family. More than 50 family members from various cities of Germany attended the event. Mr. Amir Aziz, Imam of the Berlin Mosque gave presentation about the history and work of the Berlin Mosque. At the conclusion of the celebration he presented a copy of the German transla-tion of the Holy Quran to the head of the family. The members of the family selected Berlin Mosque as the venue for this auspicious birthday as they thought it most appropriate to visit and celebrate the happy occasion at the Berlin Mosque and seek blessings for their elder in the oldest Mosque in Europe.

Visit of group of students from Mondschein Kindergarten12 June. Family Augurk Kita Mondschein Berlin Kindergarten visited the Berlin Mosque. Children enjoyed the visit and showed interest in the history and work of the Berlin Mosque. Children stayed in the Mosque and watched keenly the observance of prayer. A copy of the German translation of the Holy Quran was presented for the school library.

Eidul Fitr celebration at the Berlin Mosque15 June. Eidul Fitr was celebrated with usual religious fervour and joy. This year Alhamdulillah Muslims from UK, Egypt, Syria, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Sudan, Bosnia living in Berlin and

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visitors from many other African countries attended the congregational prayer. Priest of Denmark Church with his staff participated in the celebration. After the prayer lunch was served.

Participation in the Interfaith Bicycle Rally24 June. A bicycle Rally was organized to promote interfaith harmony among religious communities. Imams, Rabbis, Priests and members of various social and religious of societies participated in the programme. Politicians and Senators specially attended the event to promote harmony amongst religious communities.

Interfaith programme at the Berlin Mosque25 June. An interfaith dialogue was organized in the Mosque by HWPL organization. Representative of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam participated in the discussion. Mr. Amir Aziz, Imam of the Berlin Mosque represented Islam. The topic for discussion was “Power of Mind”. It was an interesting event.

Visit of a group from a Secondary School26 June. Schule an der Haveldüne secondary school from Berlin visited the Berlin Mosque. After presentation about the history and activities, question/ answer session was conducted. Students asked many questions about Islam. A copy of the German translation was presented for the school library and some copies were also given to interested students.

Another group of students visited the Berlin Mosque27 June. Jean Chandler School from Reinickendorf, Berlin visited the Mosque. After presentation, question/answer session was conducted. German translation of the holy Quran was presented for the School library.

A Group from an Evangelic Church visited the Berlin Mosque30 June. A group from an Evangelic Parish from Norf-Nievenheim visited the Berlin Mosque with more than 60 young people under the guidance of Pastor Ms. Meyer-Claus Daniela. This group came from a place which is at a six hours’ distance from Berlin. All participants enjoyed the trip and enjoyed their stay at the Mosque. A copy of the German translation of Holy Quran was presented to the Pastor.

Preservation of the Mosque Archive and its linkage with the National Archives9 July. With the blessings of Allah, Project of preserving the Berlin Mosque Archives has recently been granted. It will provide a golden opportunity of not only preserving the Mosque archives but also being linked to the National Archives of Germany. A Skype meeting was arranged at the Berlin Mosque. The following persons joined it: Dr. Prof. Abdul Karim, Ameer and president of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, Mr. Saadat Ahmad, CA, Financial Secretary of the Central Anjuman in Lahore, Mr. Shahid Aziz, president of UK Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman, Mr. Nasir Ahmad, editor of the monthly Bulletin, Hope and Mr. Abdoel Santoe, advisor to the Berlin Anjuman from Rotterdam, Netherland. This special meeting on skype was organised to discuss a comprehensive plan to pre-serve the Berlin Mosque archives. Dr. Gerdien Jonker, a great friend of the Berlin Mosque, author and research scholar is already working on the old correspondence, books and booklets, photos etc., relating to the period of pre and post-World War II. But there has been a new turn in this direc-tion. Due to the efforts of Dr. Jonker, we are fortunate that Dr. Jorn Thielmann, Managing Director,

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Department for “Erlangen Center for Islam and Law in Europe” has agreed to supervise preservation working being done at the Berlin Mosque, but has also agreed to link it with the National archives. When this plan is accomplished the Berlin Mosque archives will be available on international level for scholars and for research.

EID AL-FITR AT THE LAHORE AHMADIYYA CENTRE IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

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GLIMPSES OF EID AL-FITR FROM THE BERLIN MOSQUE

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Interfaith Bicycle Rally

GROUPS FROM VARIOUS SCHOOLS.

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blessings of Allah be on him). LOVE also generates peace and happiness in the society. Follow the commandments of ALLAH and His Messenger, the Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD and earn an ever-lasting life here in this world and in the Hereafter. May Allah bless you all.

Ahmad Nawaz, Hayward, California I have just finished reading the February 2013 issue of the HOPE Bulletin dedicated to the memory of the late Br. Akbar Abdullah. I must say that your team has worked very hard to collect facts about the life and contributions made by our late Br. Akbar. The formatting of the Bulletin and photographs have made it very impressive and visual. Br. Akbar deserved such a beautiful dedication. I wish to congratulate you for making the Bulletin more than just a news bulletin. The brief life history of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) by our new sister in the fold of Islam, Christiane Backer, is very impressive and shows how his Perfect Example has inspired her thoughts and behaviour. I am sure her book “From MTV to Mecca” must be worth reading. Thanks for introducing the autobiography of a highly popular figure in the Western media, who, by her own study, has adopted Islam, and is facing challenges with firm faith and conviction.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The HOPE Bulletin E-mail address: thehopebulletin@hotmail.com

ISLAM stands for: I SHALL LOVE ALL MANKIND

Photographs : Amir Aziz, Berlin. Samir Khan, SydneyDesign & Formatting : Erwan Hamdani, Jakarta, Indonesia

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