Januray 2014

Editors:

Shahid Aziz

Mustaq Ali

Contents: Page

The Call of the Messiah 1

Concept of God in Islam from ‘Arab News’ 3

Where Islam Clashes with the West by Yuram Abdullah Weiler 5

God’s Forgiveness 8

م می

حالر

ن

م

ح اہلل الر

م س

ب

Call of the Messiah

by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi

Circumspection

It is necessary and useful to remember that the

prophecies uttered through the mouths of apos-

tles or through sacred scriptures regarding the

advent of Divine messengers – no matter

whether they be prophets, apostles, muhaddas,

or mujaddid – consist of two parts, one being

those signs which come to pass perceptibly and

which amount and add up to clear arguments,

the other part being couched in the language of

metaphor and figurativeness, and also that peo-

ple having prejudice and bias in their mentality

will adhere to and follow the metaphorical

statements, whereas the sincere seekers after

Truth derive benefit from the clear and categori-

cal statements. The Jews as well as the Chris-

tians have passed through this ordeal, and the

Muslims who have eyes to see should, therefore,

learn a lesson from this and not hasten to de-

nounce and deny merely on the basis of figura-

tive speech, but rather derive benefit for the

purpose of their guidance from those signs that

have manifestly been set forth and exhibited by

the God Most High. It is but obvious that doubt

cannot destroy and do away with certainty. Ac-

cordingly, that portion of the prophecies that

has not as yet been fulfilled in a visible way is

simply a matter of conjecture; for it is possible

that, as with the second coming of Elias, it, too,

might have been fulfilled in a metaphorical

sense, and that the person who is waiting is

possessed of the misapprehension that it will,

some day, come to pass and happen in a physi-

cal way. It is also possible that the actual words

of some Traditions might not have remained

intact and unimpaired, because the words of

Traditions are not like wahy matluwwa

(‘revelation that is recited’), and most of them

constitute a collection of individual narrations.

Doctrine or dogma is a different thing: one may

believe as he chooses, but the true and correct

conclusion is that in individual narrations there

is a reasonable chance of an alteration in the

wording, so that in one and the same Tradition

received through different channels and differ-

ent narrators there is often a considerable dif-

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ference in their wording as well as in their or-

der, although it will have been been uttered by

one mouth and at one time. It can, then, be read-

ily understood that since most of the narrators

have their own mode of expression and choice

of words, divergence is a natural consequence.

Fulfilment of metaphorical statements

It is also possible that, in the metaphorical por-

tion of the prophecies, certain events that are

expected to come to come about in a single oc-

currence may come to pass gradually, or even

through the agency of another person, just as it

happened in the case of the Holy Prophet's

prophecy that the keys to the treasures of the

emperors of Rome and Persia had been deliv-

ered into his hands, although it is a matter of

fact that the Holy Prophet had breathed his last

and died before the prophecy actually came to

pass and that he saw neither the treasures of

Rome and Persia, nor their keys; but since it had

been ordained that the keys would be surren-

dered into the hands of Hazrat Umar given that

his existence, in the sense of his being a shadow

of the Holy Prophet, was in itself the Holy

Prophet’s existence, accordingly, in the realm of

revelation, Hazrat Umar's hand had been desig-

nated and deemed to be the Holy Prophet's

hand. In short, people falling into error slip up

at this point and go astray. They think, unfortu-

nately, that every portion of the prophecy will

definitely be literally fulfilled, and when the

time comes, and a man from God makes his ap-

pearance, and certain signs come to pass in sup-

port of his truthfulness, they give them no heed

or regard, while those signs that do not come to

pass and realise themselves in a literal way, or

whose time of fulfilment has not yet arrived,

they will cite and adduce again and again. Now,

this was, in fact, the real cause of the destruction

of those people who did not accept the true

prophets of God. They presumptuously thought

that they were clever and shrewd enough, but

the unholy game robbed them of the acceptance

of Truth.

Regrettable repetition

It is surprising indeed that whatever the Jews

and the Christians did in the past in the way of

misconstruing and misinterpreting prophecies

so that they did not accept the truthful persons,

exactly the same has been done to me by my

people, the Muslims. It was, of course, necessary

that, in accordance with the ancient practice of

God Most High, the prophecies concerning the

advent of the Promised Messiah should consist

of two parts, one containing clear signs that

were to be fulfilled in a literal and perceptible

way, the other consisting of figurative state-

ments couched in the idiom of metaphor and

simile. But it is regrettable that this people, too,

have followed in the footsteps of the earlier

wrongdoers and, sticking pig-headedly to the

metaphorical statements, set aside and rejected

those clear signs and arguments that had been

fulfilled manifestly, although fear of God and

piety demanded that they should have remem-

bered the trials and tribulations of the former

nations and not laid stress upon the metaphori-

cal statements, but derived benefit from the

clear signs and arguments that have come about

and taken place as clearly as the daylight. But

they do not act in this way, and when those

prophecies uttered by the Holy Prophet and the

Holy Quran of which many a sign has patently

come to pass are adduced before them, they set

them aside most arrogantly and cite some figu-

rative statements, contending that they have not

been visibly fulfilled. And when, even in spite of

all this, mention is made of those earlier people

who, in much the same way, disregarded the

fulfilled portion of the prophecies and, seizing

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Januray 2014

3

during the time of his call? Bring forward and ad-

duce it, if there should be any; and I declare most

emphatically that ever since the beginning of this

world right up to this day, not a single instance to

this effect will be found. Is there any person, there-

fore, who will derive benefit from this strong and

decisive argument, and cherish the fear of God in

his mind? It is not my contention that idol-

worshippers do not get a long lease of life, or that

those atheists denying the existence of God and

persons claiming godhood and divinity for them-

selves will soon be held up and seized, for there is

the next world for the punishment of these errors

and abominations. But I argue and assert that one

who attributes falsehoods to God, claiming that

they have been revealed to him by God Most High,

although he knows that they have not been re-

vealed to him, is soon seized by the Divine wrath,

and the days of his life are diminished and cut

short. It is borne out by the Quran, the Gospel and

the Torah. It is also vouched for and attested to by

human intellect and wisdom. As against this testi-

mony no contender can cite any instance from the

annals of man to show that a hypocrite, telling lies

about God, had been propagating his falsehood in

the world for twenty-five or just eighteen years

and posing deceitfully as the Deputy and Beloved

of God Most High, and putting forward and adduc-

ing in support of it his own cooked-up revelations,

but was not seized and smitten by Divine chastise-

ment in spite of his criminal and wicked activities.

Can it be expected and hoped that anyone from

among our opponents will come forward and an-

swer this question? Certainly not. Their hearts

know full well that they are helpless and unable to

answer these questions; still they do not refrain or

desist from their denial, and although truth has

been brought home to them through many a differ-

ent argument, they continue to wallow in their in-

difference and apathy.

Concept of God in Islam

(Reproduced from Arab News, Friday, 8th November 2013,

http://www.arabnews.com/news/474046)

EVERY language has one or more terms that are

used in reference to God and sometimes to lesser

upon the metaphorical portion and contending

that it had not been literally fulfilled, did not ac-

cept the truth, these people say that if they had

been in that age they would not have acted in that

manner. They do not accept the fulfilled signs and

arguments that create and kindle the light of belief,

but go about with the metaphorical statement in

their hands, wrongly instructing the people that

these have not been fulfilled, although it was nec-

essary, according to the providential plan, that

those things should not be fulfilled in the manner

they surmised, i.e., in the literal, bare way. There is

no doubt that one portion of the prophecy has

been fulfilled openly, without any reserve, and the

other obscurely or in a veiled manner, but the

prejudiced and perverse people of this age have

had no mind to accept it. They turn away their

faces disdainfully at the sight of every argument

and proof, and call the signs of God the fraud and

deception of man. When they hear the pure and

sacred revelation of God Most High they reject it as

man’s fabrication, but they cannot give a reply to

the question; “Has any wicked hypocrite who

forged lies against God ever been given, for the

purpose of spreading his falsehood, as much time

as was given to the true recipients of Divine revela-

tion? Has not God Most High warned that those

who have fabricated Divine revelation and forged

falsehood against Him shall be put to death and

destroyed? It is also written in the Torah

(Deuteronomy, 18:20) that a false prophet “which

shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I

have not commanded him to speak … shall die”,

and in the Gospel also (Matthew, 7:19) that a pre-

tender shall soon be destroyed, and his followers

dispersed. Is there even one instance where a

hypocrite who fabricated Divine revelation was

given, during the period of his fabrication, as much

life as has been vouchsafed to this humble man

4

January 2014

deities. This is not the case with the term ‘Allah,’

which is the specific name of the one true God.

Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has

no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness

when compared with the word ‘god,’ which can

be made plural, as in ‘gods,’ or made feminine, as

in ‘goddess.’ It is interesting to notice that the

name ‘Allah’ is referred to in Aramaic, the lan-

guage of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and

a sister language of Arabic.

The one true God is a reflection of the

unique concept that Islam associates with God.

To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty Creator and

Sustainer of the universe, Who is similar to

nothing, and nothing is comparable to Him. The

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was

asked by his contemporaries about Allah, the

answer came directly from God Himself in the

form of a short chapter of the Qur’an, which is

considered to be the essence of the unity or the

motto of monotheism: “Say: He is God, the One!

God, the eternally Besought of all! He begets not

nor was begotten. And there is none comparable

to Him.” (Qur’an, 112:1–4) Allah’s concept in

Islam is that of merciful. Hence, except Surah

Taubah, each of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an

begins with the verse, “In the name of God, the

Merciful, the Compassionate.” Prophet Muham-

mad (peace be upon him) said: “God is more

loving and kind than a mother to her dear

child.”

And, God in Islam is Just. Hence, evildoers

and sinners must have their share of punish-

ment, and the virtuous must have His bounties

and favors. Actually, God’s attribute of mercy has

full manifestation in His attribute of justice. Peo-

ple suffering throughout their lives for His sake

should not receive similar treatment from their

Lord as people who oppress and exploit others.

Expecting similar treatment for them would

amount to negating the very belief in the ac-

countability of man in the Hereafter and thereby

negate all the incentives for a moral and virtu-

ous life in this world.

The following Qur’anic verses are very clear

and straightforward in this respect: “Verily, for

the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the

Presence of their Lord. Shall We then treat the

people of Faith like the people of Sin? What is

the matter with you? How judge you?”

Islam rejects characterizing God in any human

form or depicting Him as favouring certain indi-

viduals or nations on the basis of wealth, power

or race. He created the human-beings as equals.

They may distinguish themselves and get His

favour through virtue and piety only.

The concepts that God rested on the seventh day

of creation, that God wrestled with one of His

soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against

mankind, and that God is incarnate in any hu-

man being are considered blasphemy in Islam.

The term ‘Allah’ is a reflection of Islam’s empha-

sis on the purity of the belief in God that is the

essence of the message of all God’s messengers.

Because of this, Islam considers associating any

deity or personality with God as a sin that God

never forgives, despite the fact that He may for-

give all other sins.

The Creator must be of a different nature

from the things created because if He is of the

same nature as they are, He will be temporal

and will therefore need a maker. It follows that

nothing is like Him. If the maker is not temporal,

Dubai Marina

Januray 2014

5

then he must be eternal. But if he is eternal, he

cannot be caused, and if nothing caused Him to

come into existence, nothing outside Him causes

Him to continue to exist, which means that he

must be self-sufficient. And if He does not de-

pend on anything for the continuance of His own

existence, then this existence can have no end.

The Creator is therefore eternal and everlasting:

“He is the First and the Last.”

He is Self-sufficient or Self-subsistent, or, to

use a Qur’anic term, Al-Qayyum. The Creator

does not create only in the sense of bringing

things into being, He also preserves them and

takes them out of existence and is the ultimate

cause of whatever happens to them.

Where Islam Clashes

with the West

(Reproduced from PRESSTV.COM, Friday, 8th November 2013, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/

2013/11/08/333668/

where-islam-clashes-with-the-west/.)

Epistemology and ontology are where Islamic

views clash with those of the West, writes

Yuram Abdullah Weiler.

(Note: Yuram Abdullah Weiler is a freelance

writer and political critic who has written dozens

of articles on the Middle East and US policy. A for-

mer engineer with a background in mathematics

and a convert to Islam, he currently writes per-

spectives on Islam, social justice, economics and

politics from the viewpoint of an American convert

to Shia Islam, focusing on the deleterious role

played by the US in the Middle East and elsewhere.

A dissenting voice from the ‘Belly of the Beast’, he

lives with his wife in Den-

ver, Colorado.)

“Whatever you per-

ceive and see in sleep

has existence for you,

even though no one

else can see it. And

whatever you do not

see is unperceived and

where-islam-clashes-with-the-west/.)

Epistemology and ontology are where Islamic

views clash with those of the West, writes

Yuram Abdullah Weiler.

(Note: Yuram Abdullah Weiler is a freelance

writer and political critic who has written dozens

of articles on the Middle East and US policy. A for-

mer engineer with a background in mathematics

and a convert to Islam, he currently writes per-

spectives on Islam, social justice, economics and

politics from the viewpoint of an American convert

to Shia Islam, focusing on the deleterious role

played by the US in the Middle East and elsewhere.

A dissenting voice from the ‘Belly of the Beast’, he

lives with his wife in Denver, Colorado.)

“Whatever you perceive and see in sleep has

existence for you, even though no one else

can see it. And whatever you do not see is

unperceived and non-existent for you, even

though all creation sees it!” – Al-Ghazzali

What is our reality and how do we know of its

existence? Throughout the ages, philosophers,

among them many Muslims, have grappled with

conceptions of reality and knowledge of its exis-

tence for centuries, probing deeply into funda-

mental questions, such as how one knows if

one’s knowledge is correct and if one’s percep-

tions of reality are valid.

These issues arise in the areas of philosophy

known as epistemology and ontology, both of

which have been expounded by such great Is-

lamic philosophers as al-Kindi, al-Farabi and Ibn

Sina. Epistemology deals with the crucial ques-

tions of what constitutes valid knowledge and

how one can obtain it, whereas ontology consid-

ers questions of what constitutes reality and

how one can understand existence. More simply

put, our epistemology

would be our answer to

the question, “How can I

know reality?” and our

ontology would be our

answer to the question,

“What is reality?” As we

shall see, Islam’s an-

swers to these vital

questions clashes with Halong Bay, Vietnam

6

January 2014

where Islam stands on these matters. Since Is-

lam holds that Allah the Creator is eternal, and

has sent prophets throughout the ages to guide

people and has provided divine books of guid-

ance for them to read, one could say that Islam

has an objectivist epistemology (See Qur’an

10:35, which states Allah guides to the truth). At

the same time, Islam (in particular Shia Islam)

has subjectivist epistemological tendencies

since it condones ijtihad or the derivation of

ordinances based on interpretation of valid

sources by religious scholars as necessary and

appropriate for changing times and new tech-

nologies.

As far as ontology is concerned, Islam holds

a realist view, that is, the independent existence

of reality whether or not we are aware, since it

testifies to the existence of creative and spiritual

forces prior to the existence of humans (see

Qur’an 2:31–32, which testifies to the existence

of knowledge before the teaching of it to angels

and the first human). Likewise, there is room for

subjectivist ontology in Islam, since it is the

Creator that has given us the ability to learn

with our minds and senses, and has provided us

with such necessities of life as food, housing,

clothing and other provisions, thus allowing us

to construct our own reality (see Qur’an 16:80).

In short, a practitioner of Islam, a Muslim,

uses the epistemology of Allah (namely the

Qur’an and Sunnah-Prophetic traditions) to

know His ontology (existence). This approach

places Allah at the center of the universe with

the ultimate source of knowledge being His

revelation. This is in sharp contrast with West-

ern anthropocentric views of epistemology and

ontology, which are heavily influenced by mate-

rialist notions of man and the universe, derived

mainly from the rationalism of René Descartes.

By postulating a theocentric world view and

rejecting the greedy materialism of a shallow,

consumer-oriented lifestyle, Islam clashes with

the West in both epistemology and ontology.

However, unlike Christianity and Western

secularism, Islam rejects the notion of an intrin-

sic conflict between the sciences and religious

teachings. “Islam attempts to synthesize reason

and revelation, knowledge and values in its ap-

proach,” writes

scholar Yadol-

lah Dadgar of

Tarbiat Mo-

dares Univer-

sity in Tehran,

pointing out

that in the

West, the

dominance of

materialistic

and mechanis-

tic paradigms

of science has

weakened this

s y n t h e s i s .

Muslim phi-

l o s o p h e r s ,

unlike their

Western counterparts, were able to find a peaceful

relationship between faith, science, reason and ra-

tionality. Of Muslim philosophers in general,

scholar Amber Haque of the United Arab Emirates

University in Al-Ain writes, “As opposed to the

Greeks, who had revolted from the Christian reli-

gious dogmas, Muslims actually reconciled religion

with philosophy.”

Of the Islamic philosophers, perhaps the best

known is Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al-

Farabi, who was born in 872 CE in Khorasan, Iran

and died in 950 CE in Aleppo, Syria. He was a Mus-

lim scientist, philosopher, cosmologist, logician and

musician. Of him, Majid Fakhry of Georgetown Uni-

versity writes, “Al-Farabi’s contributions … entitle

him to a position of undoubted pre-eminence

among the philosophers of Islam.” Al-Farabi’s trea-

tises on the logic of Aristotle were a key element of

the passing of this knowledge to Christian scholars

in the middle ages, and had a great influence on

later Islamic philosophers such as Ibn Sina, or

Avicenna as he is known in the West. He even had a

great influence on the thinking and philosophy of

the Jewish sage, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, the

Rambam, better known in the West as Maimonides,

who said of Al-Farabi, “All his writings are fault-

lessly excellent.” Also famous for The Great Book of

Music (Kitab al-Musiqi al-Kabir), Al-Farabi has been

called “The Second Teacher,” that is, second only to

Aristotle.

Januray 2014

7

Another great Muslim philosopher, theolo-

gian and mystic also from Khorasan, Iran is Abu

Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali, who was born in

1058, and died in Tus in 1111. He wrote on hu-

man nature and discovering the self, which he

described as consisting of qalb, ruh, nafs and aql

– roughly speaking, heart, spirit, soul and mind

– all of which are considered spiritual entities.

These are further subdivided, for example

the nafs: Nafs l’ammarah – the soul that seeks to

gratify passions and do evil, see Qur’an

12:53, Nafs Lawammah –

the soul that knows right

from wrong, see Qur’an

75:2, and Nafs Mutmainnah

– the soul which arrives at

the ultimate peace, see

Qur’an 89:27.

It is interesting to note

that many ideas used in

psychology in the West

today have an origin in

the teachings of Islamic

scholars. Haque writes,

“In the area of psychology,

we also find that it was

the early Muslim scholars

who originated many psy-

chological theories and

practices prevalent to-

day.”

For example, one of the

earliest works on dreams is that of Abu Bakr

Muhammad Ibn Sireen (654–728), whose per-

spective on analysis is quite different from the

Western approach, which is now based on Freud

and his ideas of sexual and aggressive interpre-

tations.

Al-Ghazzali taught that man was between

the animals and the angels. With the acquisition

of knowledge, man could rise above the angels,

but could fall to the level of the animals if pas-

sions, anger and lusts are allowed to rule. He

taught that Tazkiyat an-Nafs – purifying one’s

soul – is incumbent upon everyone, is the result

of one’s own good self-conduct, and is possible

without destroying all of one’s natural tenden-

cies, which in the west would be called self-

help.

The problem with the approach to human

well-being in the confused western secular-

Christian society is that it has placed the per-

son’s spiritual and theistic nature into a sepa-

rate category known as “religion,” to be pursued

or ignored as desired. As Haque explains, “This

process of secularization grossly neglected the

moral and spiritual phenomena within man and

left it up to the individual to

practice religion.” This, in a

sense, puts Western psychol-

ogy in direct conflict with

man’s innate spiritual nature,

and of course, the Islamic the-

ory of human nature which

recognizes this inherent spiri-

tuality and human free will.

Identifying this clash with

Islam, Haque asserts, “Modern

psychology makes grave as-

sumptions that human behav-

iors are observable by the

senses and therefore subject

to quantification and meas-

urement, while ignoring the

transcendental aspect in

man.”

The Western secularists often

ask the question of why is

there a need for a “theological

structure,” religion in other words, if humans

are, at least theoretically, capable of deducing

right from wrong and the existence of the Crea-

tive Force. In response, al-Ghazzali informs us

that since humans are ruled by unlimited appe-

tites, seeking the increase of material wealth

and satisfaction of carnal desires, reason has

been created to restrain them and the Sharia, or

Islamic law, has been sent by means of the

prophets (peace be upon them) to clarify rea-

son.

The West, in contrast to Islam, believes that

by unleashing all of these self-serving appetites

(and not passing moral judgment upon them) in

the so-called free market, the maximum level of

happiness for everyone will be achieved. As hu-

8

January 2014

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mans have freedom of choice, Islam maintains

that without the Divine guidance revealed to us

through Allah’s prophets and imams (peace be

upon them), there is no guarantee an individual

would make the wisest choices for ultimate hap-

piness and success in this world much less the

next, which the secular west denies.

Sharply incompatible with Islam, modern

Western ontology denies the hereafter while its

epistemology denies knowledge acquired

through revelation. These irreconcilable differ-

ences in epistemology and ontology lie at the

heart of the clash between Islam and the West.

God’s Forgiveness

(Editor’s Note: the following article is reprinted

here from The Islamic Review, vol. 9, no. 4,

April–May, 1989.)

God is not a mere judge or king. He is, as the

Quran describes Him, “Master of the Day of

Judgement.” He is not only Just, but also Merciful

and Forgiving. If He finds some real good in a

man or sees that he is sincerely repentant, hav-

ing the desire and resoluteness to conquer his

own evil impulses, then He may forgive his fail-

ings and sins altogether.

The only right motive or reason for punish-

ing a man is to check evil and reform the of-

fender. The God of the Quran the Creator and

Sustainer of all the worlds is the God of love and

mercy. He judges a man on the basis of his inten-

tion and efforts. If He prescribes a law and a way

and demands obedience, it is not for His own

benefit, but for the benefit of mankind. If He

punishes a man for his transgressions and sins it

is not for His own satisfaction, but to check evil

and purify the sinner.

When a man commits a sin, he does not

harm God, he harms his own soul. Hell itself is

like a hospital, where the spiritually and morally

ill – those suffering from the diseases of selfish-

ness, malice, hatred, falsehood, dishonesty,

greed, impurity, etc. – are cured by the fire of

remorse and distress. But those who have the

persistent urge to do good and the sincerely re-

pentant will find God ever-ready to forgive their

failures and sins without punishing them. True

repentance erases sin, in the sight of God.

God can and does forgive the shortcomings

and sins of those who are trying their best to

eschew evil and do good, and of the sincerely

repentant. “Say: O My people, who have acted

extravagantly against your own souls, do not

despair of the mercy of God; for God forgives the

sins altogether; for He is the Forgiving, the

Mer ciful. So turn to your Lord repentant and

submit to Him before there comes to you the

chastisement, then you will not be

helped” (39:53–54). “And whoever does evil or

wrongs his own soul, then asks forgiveness of

God (and reforms himself), will find God Forgiv-

ing, Merciful. And whoever commits a sin, com-

mits it only against himself. And God is All-

knowing, Wise” (4:110–111).

Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan