The Review of Religions November 2015

Mufti Muhammad
Sadiqra
– An Early Ray of
Western Sunrise
18
World Peace & Security
- The Critical Issues of
Our Time
38
Responsibilities of an
Ahmadi Muslim
50
The Economic System
of Islam
56
vol. 110 - issue elevennovember 2015 www.reviewofreligions.org
WorldPeace
&Security:
The Critical
Issues of
OurTime

And if thy Lord had enforced His will, surely, all who
are on the earth would have believed together. Wilt
thou, then, force men to become believers? And no
soul can believe except by the permission of Allah.
Islam, the Holy Qur’an, Ch.10:V.100-101.
A man among the Muslims and a man among the
Jews reviled one another.The Muslim said, “By Him
who chose Muhammadsa
above the universe,” and
the Jew said, “By Him who chose Mosesas
above the
universe.”Thereupon the Muslim raised his hand and
struck the Jew on his face, and the Jew went to the
Prophetsa
and told him what had happened between
him and the Muslim.The Prophetsa
summoned the
Muslim and asked him about that, and when he
informed him the Prophetsa
said, “Do not make me
superior to Moses, for mankind will swoon on the
day of resurrection and I shall swoon along with
them. I shall be the first to recover and see Moses
seizing the side of the Throne; and I shall not know
whether he was among those who had swooned and
had recovered before me, or whether he was among
those of whom God had made an exception... Do
not make distinctions between the Prophets.”
Islam, the Holy Prophetsa
, Hadith of
Bukhari and Muslim.
Now consider that this is the Qur’anic teaching
despite the fact that it treats idols as of no significance.
Yet God teaches the Muslims to abstain from
insulting even the idols and admonishes them instead
to adopt a course of gentle persuasion lest they [the
idolaters] should be provoked, in turn, to abuse God.
Islam, the Promised Messiahas
, A
Message of Peace, p. 32.
Those who praise their own doctrines and disparage
the doctrines of others do not solve any problem.
Jainism, Sutrakritanga 1.1.50.
The Buddha says, “To be attached to a certain
view and to look down upon others’ views as
inferior--this the wise men call a fetter.”
Buddhism, Sutta Nipata 798.
Like the bee, gathering honey from different flowers,
the wise man accepts the essence of different
scriptures and sees only the good in all religions.
Hinduism, Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.
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
Tolerance & Respect
for All Believers
world faiths

10 Untold Stories
14 Respect for Other Religions
, the Promised
Messiah and Imam Mahdi
18 Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra
–
An Early Ray of
Western Sunrise
Accomplishments of Mufti
Muhammad Sadiq Sahibra
and his
role in establishing Islam in America.
by Asif M. Basit, London, UK
38 World Peace & Security -
The Critical Issues of
Our Time
How can Islamic principle of
universal harmony be achieved while
safeguarding the rights of mankind?
Address by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad,
Khalifatul Masih Vaba
, at the Dutch National
Parliament.
50 Responsibilities of an
Ahmadi Muslim
, the Promised
56 The Economic System of Islam
The harms of interest and the
Islamic solution to this problem.
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra
Front cover picture:
© (PA Groups/AP/Bebeto Matters)
contents
november 2015 Vol.110 issue eleven
56
38
18

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
PROOFREADERS
Farhana Dar (Head), Hina Rehman, Amina Abbasi, Aisha Patel
HOUSE STYLE GUIDE
Maleeha Ahmad (Head), Sadia Shah
SOCIAL MEDIA
Tazeen Ahmad (Head), Mala Khan (Deputy), Nudrat
Ahmad, Hajra Ahmad, Mishall Rahman, Shumaila Ahmad
PRINT DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Ahsan Khan
INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION & DISTRIBUTION
Muhammad Hanif
ACCOUNTS & MARKETING
Musa Sattar
ART & CREATIVITY
Zubair Hayat, Mussawir Din
INDEXING,TAGGING & ARCHIVING
Mirza Krishan Ahmad (Head). Amtus Shakoor Tayyaba Ahmed
(Deputy). Humaira Omer, Humda Sohail, Shahid Malik, Ruhana
Hamood, Mubahil Shakir, Adila Bari, Hassan Raza Ahmad
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

SUBSCRIBE NOW!
12 Issues for £15
LESS THAN £1.99 A MONTH
For more information Visit: ReviewofReligions.org/Subscription
Call (UK Head office) : +44 (020) 8544 7614
Email: Accounts@ReviewofReligions.org
Youtube.com/ReviewofReligions @ReviewofReligions facebook.com/theReviewofReligions @ReviewReligions
Suffer Pain to Bring
Comfort to Humanity
10
The Significance
of Ramadan
14
Religious Trends
in Germany
24
Khalifah of the Promised
Messiah in Germany
40
VOL. 109 - ISSUE SEVENJULY 2014 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
ISLAM
A THREAT OR A
SOURCE OF PEACE?
CASE STUDY:
GERMANY
Khalifah of Promised
Messiah Sends Letter to
Russian President
30
Syria - A Religious
Heritage
34
Medical Consequences
of Nuclear War
46
The World in Need of
a Reformer
74
VOL. 108 - ISSUE ELEVENNOVEMBER 2013 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
SYRIA
IN CRISIS
Chimes of Messiah
8
The Beginning of
Creation in Scriptures of
Different Religions
34
Khalifah of the Promised
Messiahas
at the Houses
of Parliament
46
Guests Reflect on the
Houses of Parliament
Event
62
VOL. 108 - ISSUE NINESEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
ISLAM-ARELIGIONof
PEACE&COMPASSION
The magazine devoted to promoting intellectual and
lively debate that is based on respect for all religions.
PLUS FREE
DELIVERY TO
YOUR DOOR
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.
Read online at: www.alislam.org
Purchase the book here:
http://store.alislam.org/

applicants were queueing for the screen-
ing. My confidence almost vanished. I
became doubtful. However, a little part
of my spirit kept encouraging and reas-
suring me that I had prayed to the One
Who alone is capable of fulfilling my
desire.
At one point I decided to approach the
Dean of Law to explain my predicament
and I went straight to his office. At the
reception,I found his secretary and a lady
who I later discovered was also a student
with a problem.I sat there anticipating to
be called after the lady. However, before
the Dean could call either of us we began
to discuss our individual problems. I
found the lady’s problem to be less dif-
ficult than mine; I told her that I would
speak to the Dean on her behalf and she
did not object.
The Dean later asked us in and I pre-
sented the lady’s case as promised and
within minutes the Dean resolved her
problem and asked her to proceed to
the screening hall. I stayed back and the
Dean then inquired what I wanted. I
told him that I was also a student with
a deficiency. He laughed and said that I
had already been advocating on another
student’s behalf.
I presented my case and the Dean
acknowledged that it was difficult. I
became nervous and began to supplicate
again silently.After some time,the Dean
said, “Oh, I remember there was a memo
that granted a waiver to any student aspir-
ing to study combined law i.e. Common and
Islamic Law.This waiver is to the effect that
in place of English Literature, Arabic can be
accepted.”He searched for the memo and
attached it to my admission letter and
told me to proceed for my screening. I
was excited and elated.As I was about to
leave,the Dean beckoned me to wait.He
took the document from me and led me
by the hand to the screening hall.
When we got there he addressed the
congregation and told the panelists
A Supplication Answered
I am a legal practitioner and a teacher. I
teach forensic law at undergraduate level
at the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil,
Kano.
I applied in 1999 to study Law at the
University of Ilorin, Nigeria, but I had a
deficiency in English Literature.When I
received the admission notification,I was
uncertain if I would pass the admission
screening exercise,as competence in this
subject was a prerequisite.
I put my trust in God Almighty. So, one
day I decided to go to the university to
face the screening panel, no longer fear-
ing the consequences. When the car
approached the university,I saw the uni-
versity mosque a few kilometres before
the main building. I stopped there to
offer two rakats (two sequences of the
formal Muslim Prayer) at about 10am.
In my prayer I supplicated, “God, I am
conscious of my weakness but I am equally
conscious of Your immeasurable strength. I
wish that You make my admission perfect
and rectify my deficiencies. I do not want
to know how You do it because I am con-
vinced You can do it.” After my prayers I
went to the faculty.There,a vast crowd of
“God, I am conscious of
my weakness but I am
equally conscious of Your
immeasurable strength.
I wish that You make my
admission perfect and rectify
my deficiencies. I do not want
to know how You do it because
I am convinced You can do it.”
10 The Review of Religions | november 2015 november 2015 | The Review of Religions 11

to consider Arabic Language in place
of English Literature, especially for
Combined Law students. After my
successful screening, I returned to
the mosque and offered two further
Raka’at (or units of prayer) in gratitude.
Today, I am a lawyer and a teacher of
law. Alhamdulillah (All praise belongs
to Allah). Trust in God supersedes all
things.
Badr Mohammed Bashir Esq
Guidance Through Dreams
In October of this year, I had the
opportunity to travel to Uruguay from
Calgary, Canada, in order to estab-
lish an Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at
(Community) there. My other objective
was to also assess the area for potential
future preaching activities.Alongside our
missionary, Yusuf Khan, I approached
various contacts and gave them the mes-
sage of Islam and Ahmadiyyat.One lady,
whose name was Khadijah, converted
and asked us to speak to her husband,
whose name was Dennis. Hence a few
days later, Yusuf Khan and I went to
her house. As soon as we entered, her
husband exclaimed that he had seen me
in a dream a few nights previously, in
which I had come to see him.We sat for
a short time and discussed our beliefs.
Shortly after, Dennis and his children
accepted Ahmadiyyat.It is amazing how
we hear our beloved Khalifah (Head of
the Ahmadiyya Community) talk about
such incidents in his Friday Sermons.To
live that moment yourself,an experience
that can only be felt by the grace of God,
is wonderful.With the help of Allah the
Almighty, we were able to achieve nine
converts.
Dr. Mohammad Baten, Calgary,
Canada
Do you have an
“Untold
Story”
you wish to share
with us?
Email us your unique story at
editor@reviewofreligions.org
untold stories
The Review of Religions has launched its brand new
YouTube channel with cutting edge content and video
virals on contemporary religious issues.
Check out the latest viral video.
A social experiment on the streets of London showing the
real view of the public on Muslims and Islam in the UK.
Join the conversation on twitter and instagram with
#IAmAMuslim
www.YouTube.com/TheReviewofReligions
12 The Review of Religions | november 2015

The
Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
( g u i d e d o n e )
founder of
In other words, do not even abuse the idols of the non-believers lest
they abuse your God out of ignorance.[1]
Now consider that this is the Qur’anic teaching despite the fact that
it treats idols as of no significance. Yet God teaches the Muslims to
abstain from insulting even the idols and admonishes them instead
to adopt a course of gentle persuasion lest they [the idolaters] should
be provoked, in turn, to abuse God. The Muslims would then be
responsible for such abuses. What manner of people are they who
revile the name of this great Prophet of Islamsa
and speak of him
with utter disrespect, brutally assailing his honour and tarnishing his
spotless character. He is the highly revered Prophet whose name is
held in such awe as when uttered the great Muslim kings vacate their
thrones and bow their heads to his commands. They consider it an
honour to be counted among the humblest of his servants. Is this
respect not a bounty of God? Those who dare insult the recipient of
such honour do,in fact,quarrel with God Himself.The Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
holds such a high station with God that to prove his
truth He has shown the world great miracles. Is this not the work of
His Mighty hand, which has bowed the heads of 200 million people
Respect for Other
Religions
…
…

before Muhammad’ssa
threshold? Granted that every Prophet had
many a heavenly signs in his support, but the peerless signs shown in
Muhammad’ssa
support outnumber them all.They continue to appear
even today as they were manifested in the past.[2]
endnotes
1. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-An’am, Verse 109.
2. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, A Message of Peace (Tilford, Surrey: Islam
International Publications Ltd., 2007), 32.
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

T
he history of Islam in America
dates back to the time of the
thirteen colonies,thus Islam has
existed in this vast country throughout its
modern history.[1]
Like many other deep and lasting socio-
cultural impressions of the African slave
trade on American society, Islam is no
exception.West African slaves that were
traded into America had brought with
them their faith of Islam and continued to
practise it even when it was near impos-
sible for them to live and act freely.[2]
It is interesting to note that the areas of
Africa first victimised by the transatlan-
tic slave trade had been the first to be
introduced to Islam. Both phenomena
had coincidentally been through trade;
Islam was brought to the West Africans
by Muslim merchant-missionaries and
slavery through the worst trade of human
trafficking. Their deep-rooted affiliation
to Islam is evident from the fact that they
managed to practice Islamic rituals like
Salat (obligatory prayers), fasting and
even offered Zakat (prescribed alms).
It was in the final two decades of the
19th
century that the formerly enslaved
Africans began to decrease and with their
deaths,Islam as a religion started to wane
from America.The descendants of these
Muslim slaves had no connection with
the faith of their forefathers, although
they had saved their prayer mats, prayer
beads and their sacred book, the Holy
Qur’an, as relics and souvenirs.[3]
By the early twentieth century,Islam had
virtually disappeared from the canvas of
American society.This may be classified
as the first phase of Islam in America.
The second phase was destined to coin-
cide with the final phase of Islam itself,
which was prophesied by the Prophetsa
of Islam. Islamic eschatology, agreed
upon by all sections and denominations
of Muslims, has it that the second phase
of Islamic glory is to resume with the
advent of the Messiah in the latter days.
Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra
– An Early Ray of
Western Sunrise
by Asif Mahmood Basit, London, UK
Like many other deep
and lasting sociocultural
impressions of the African
slave trade on American
society, Islam is no exception.
West African slaves that
were traded into America
had brought with them
their faith of Islam…
© Wiki Commons
november 2015 | The Review of Religions 19

misconceptions: that of Jesusas
being alive
in the heavens. Hazrat Ahmadas
proved
from the Holy Qur’an that Jesusas
had
died a natural death and that the Messiah
that was prophesied was meant to be a
person with similar characteristics to
Jesusas
, rather than Jesusas
himself. This
metaphorical reincarnation of Jesusas
,
Hazrat Ahmadas
claimed, was fulfilled
through his own self. He claimed to
be the Messiah and Mahdi (Divinely
Guided Leader) who had been divinely
commissioned to reform the world of all
wrongdoing and stray behaviour.
The Dual Challenge for
Hazrat Ahmadas
With this claim,Hazrat Ahmadas
had to
face fierce opposition from not only the
Muslims, but also Christians.The argu-
ments put forward by Hazrat Ahmadas
were so logical that both groups found
no way to counter them,hence resorting
to illogical and nonsensical accusations
against the person and character of
Hazrat Ahmadas
.Muslim circles accused
him of being an agent of the British
Government commissioned to destroy
the Muslim nation; a baseless allega-
tion with no grounds whatsoever, as the
prevalent Muslim appetite for sectari-
anism and exclusionism left the Muslim
‘nation’in no need of an external agency
to erode them. Another fact overlooked
by such an allegation was that,how could
a person be an agent to a nation, whilst
challenging the very foundations of their
faith through his claims and widely pub-
licised writings?
A great deal of the writings of Hazrat
Ahmadas
focused on proving that Jesusas
had died a natural death,was not alive in
heaven and will not return to this world
in person. This was no less than a fatal
attack on the very foundations of the
Christian faith. Christian missionaries
took serious notice of this ‘new Messiah’
and their agitation was noticed in their
reports sent back home from India.
Christian missionary societies were per-
plexed at this ‘novel approach’taken by a
Muslim against Christian beliefs.[4]
Amidst such tensions, where conflict
It is also unanimously agreed upon by
all canonical works of Islamic tradition
that this would be the time when the sun
would rise from the West, symbolically
meaning that the message of Islam would
reach the Western hemisphere.
Advent of the Mohammedan Messiah
All major religions of the world awaited
a Saviour or Messiah,to relieve the world
of social, moral and spiritual ailments.
Islamic and Christian eschatology fore-
told the advent of Jesus Christas
, or
someone in his similitude, in the latter
days for the reformation of all mankind.
The middle of the nineteenth and almost
all of the twentieth century saw a prolif-
eration of reform movements in almost
all major religions. All faiths sought to
reform their beliefs so as to make their
doctrines compatible with the challenges
of modern life.They felt that by not being
able to do so, their faiths were prone to
becoming extinct.
Islam was no exception and a vast array of
reform movements arose in various parts
of the Muslim world. From the anti-
innovation movement of Muhammad
bin Abdul Wahab in Arabia to the South
Asian Anglophilic movement of Sir
Syed Ahmad Khan,a number of Islamic
reform movements took off during the
aforementioned span of time, bearing
testimony to the fact that the need for
reform and a reinterpretation of Islamic
doctrine was acute.
Whilst the interpretations of certain
Islamic doctrines were mooted, the
most powerful stroke came from Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
of Qadian,
India. Through divine guidance, he set
out to rectify the most fundamental of
Slave market in the United States in
the 1850s: there was a vigorous internal
slave trade with wealthy traders who
transported slaves to the newly opened
lands west of the Mississippi river.
© Shutterstock | Everett Historical
It was in the final two
decades of the 19th
century
that the formerly enslaved
Africans began to decrease
and with their deaths,
Islam as a religion started
to wane from America.
mufti muhammad sadiqra
– an early ray of western sunrise

on a vision of Hazrat Ahmadas
, when he
had seen himself conveying the message
of Islam to the Western world and its
acceptance. An even more basic motive
was a tradition of the Prophetsa
of Islam
where the sun is symbolically said to rise
from the West in the latter days.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim mission in
London was established in 1914 and
Hazrat Chaudhary Fateh Muhammad
Sayalra
was appointed as the first mis-
sionary.The London mission served as a
training camp for almost all missionaries
heading to various parts of the world in
the early twentieth century.
Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra
in London
One prominent name among the many
missionaries who stayed in London and
gained hands-on experience of preach-
ing to the Western public was Mufti
Muhammad Sadiqra
. Mufti Sadiqra
was
later to be the first Ahmadi missionary
to take the message of Islam to America,
and among the very first to actually revive
the message of Islam in America. Mufti
Sadiqra
is unanimously described as “a
learned and well-respected representa-
tive of his faith, a philologist and expert
in Arabic and Hebrew. He also had a deep
spiritual commitment, and came to his task
with ardor.”[6]
But before moving onto
his services for Islam in America, it is
important to take a look at the time he
spent in London as it laid the founda-
tion for many successes that came his way
later serving as a missionary in America.
The approach taken by Mufti Sadiqra
,
like other early Ahmadi missionaries in
London, was to propagate the message
of Islam to members through general lec-
tures in Hyde Park on Sundays, and to
members of various societies and clubs
during the week.
Mufti Sadiqra
and a co-missionary, Qazi
Muhammad Abdullahra
, would actively
proselytise through printing and distrib-
uting literature and delivering lectures
far and wide in the country. An example
and fierce opposition clouded the skies,
Hazrat Ahmadas
stood firm not only
in adhering to his claims, but also to
publicising and proselytising his under-
standing of Islam. The whole world, of
course,included the Western hemisphere
where Christianity was the dominant
religion.
Foreign Missions and the Outreach
Scheme
Hazrat Ahmadas
began sending litera-
ture for worldwide printing during his
lifetime. Newspapers from Australia
to London and from Europe to the
Americas would,from time to time,carry
his message in their publications.[5]
He
had also began a seminary in Qadian to
train missionaries who could take the
message of the true Islam to the corners
of the earth.
Soon after the demise of Hazrat
Ahmadas
,Ahmadi missionaries were sent
to many countries, notably to England
and America, where the population was
predominantly Christian. What paved
the way for early missionary deployment
in the Western hemisphere was based
A great deal of the writings
of Hazrat Ahmadas
focused
on proving that Jesusas
had
died a natural death, was not
alive in heaven and will not
return to this world in person.
This was no less than a fatal
attack on the very foundations
of the Christian faith.
Jesus in India is the
English rendering of the
groundbreaking treatise
written by the Holy
Founder of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community,
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
, the Promised
(1835-1908).
The theme is the escape of Jesusas
from
death on the cross, and his journey to
India in search of the lost tribes of Israel.
Christian as well as Muslim scriptures, and
old medical and historical books including
ancient Buddhist records, provide evidence
about this journey. Jesusas
is shown to have
reached Afghanistan, and to have met the
Jews who had settled there after deliverance
from the bondage of Nebuchadnezzar. From
Afghanistan Jesusas
went on to Kashmir,
where other Israelite tribes had settled.
There he made his home, and there in
time he died; his tomb has been found in
Srinagar.
The Promised Messiahas
.
© Makhzan-e-Tasaweer

but also the hearts of many English men
and women who embraced Islam after
receiving its true message.
The Sunrise from the West
Mufti Sadiqra
was instructed by Hazrat
Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud
Ahmadra
(Second Successor to the
Promised Messiahas
) in December
1919, to proceed to America and take
the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat to
Americans.[10]
Mufti Sadiqra
boarded
the SS Haverford (a major transatlantic
steamship) from Liverpool that set sail
for the American state of Pennsylvania
on January 24,1920,arriving on February
15, 1920.[11]
This first step of the repre-
sentative of the Promised Messiahas
and
his Khalifah,was the first significant step
towards the revival of Islam in America.
The first difficulty faced by Mufti Sadiqra
upon his arrival was that he was arrested
by the American authorities on suspi-
cion that he had landed in their country
to preach polygamy.[12]
This arrest was
based on the Immigration Act of 1891
that deemed “Polygamists; or persons who
admit their belief in the practice of polyg-
amy” inadmissible to the United States
of America.[13]
The immigration officers
wanted to deport him, however Mufti
Sadiqra
asked for a chance to present his
case before the federal authorities. He
argued before the tribunal that there was
a difference between Halal (permissible)
and Fardh (obligatory) in Islam. Islam,
he argued, does allow men to marry up
to four women at a time, but does not
make it obligatory to do so.[14]
His argu-
ment was heard and accepted, resulting
in him being allowed to walk free with
the condition that he would not promote
polygamous trends in America.[15]
The time spent behind bars was not
wasted as Mufti Sadiqra
utilised this
time in propagating the message of the
true Islam. Many in the detention cen-
tre showed an interest and he converted
nineteen inmates in a very short period
of such booklets was The Crying Need of
the Age Fulfilled, a print copy of a lecture
delivered by Qazi Abdullahra
,introduc-
ing the advent of the Promised Messiahas
and the revival of Islam.[7]
The booklet
offered universities and societies an
opportunity to invite Mufti Sadiqra
or
Qazi Abdullahra
to deliver lectures.Such
offers were readily accepted by a great
number of institutions across the country.
These lectures won him great renown
amongst the intellectual circles of the
country. It attracted the attention of
literary and religious societies which
felt honoured to have him as a speaker.
His command on philology earned him
acclaim and he was invited as a regu-
lar speaker at the Société Internationale
de Philologie, Sciences et Beaux-Arts.
This “society was founded in 1875 for the
advancement and encouragement of all
branches of Science, Literature, Music, and
the Fine Arts generally, and particularly the
science of Philology.”[8]
The Society registered himas a member
and granted him an honorary degree of
B. Phil., acknowledging his work on the
“comparison of the Arabic and Hebrew lan-
guages.”The Philomath,the literary journal
that worked as the organ of the Société,
acknowledged his lectures with high
esteem.[9]
These lectures and publications
not only won degrees for Mufti Sadiqra
Hyde Park London in 1833.
© Wiki Commons
Opening ceremony of the Muslim
Mosque of Highland Park, July 1921.

There existed a strong discrimination
against Indian and Muslim immigrants
in the United States in the early part of
the twentieth century. The American
immigration authorities had refused
entry to many Muslim immigrants
on the grounds that “they were neither
Caucasian nor African.”[20]
The racially
oriented uprisings and riots of 1907 on
the West Coast targeted immigrants
from the British Indian Punjab, whom
the local citizens saw aseconomic immi-
grants.This class of Punjabi immigrants
included Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims,
but the American eye branded them all
as Hindus for the turbans they wore on
their heads. Agnes Foster Buchanan,
writing in The Overland Monthly saw
this as “the propitious moment for the State
Department to […] tell our brothers of the
East that while the earth is large enough for
us all, there is no part of it that will com-
fortably accommodate both branches of the
Aryan family.”[21]
There existed a deep-rooted hostility in
America against people of Asian origin,
which laid the basis for the Oriental
Exclusion Act of 1917, declaring an
“Asiatic Barred Zone.”This zone included
Arabia, India, Afghanistan, the East
Indies, Indochina and all other Asian
nations. The Johnson Act set up strictly
limited quotas for Asian immigrants and
in 1924, the Johnson-Reed Act set up
a “national origins system” which was
extremely discriminating as it virtu-
ally blocked all ways for non-European
of two months before his release in April
1920.[16]
The Historic Significance of Mufti
Sadiq’sra
Confinement
The sacrifice that Mufti Sadiqra
offered,
by going through the ordeal of confine-
ment in the Philadelphia Detention
House in Gloucester, New Jersey, was
not something that remained confined
to his person.It was a sacrifice of greater
historic value.
It seems to be the first ever instance
when the American authorities explic-
itly showed a gross misunderstanding
of Islamic doctrine by not only misin-
terpreting it, but also by passing a bill
based on this gross misunderstanding.
[17]
As stated above,the Immigration Act
of 1870 clearly seems to take polygamy
as a commandment of Islam, hence not
allowing any Muslim to step on the soils
of America. Mufti Sadiqra
, by appealing
against the deportation orders of the
immigration authorities and by present-
ing his case before the American federal
Government,became the first Muslim to
initiate a campaign to remove Western
misconceptions about Islam. What
Mufti Sadiqra
performed before the
American government was a legacy he
had inherited from the Holy Founder
of Ahmadiyyat, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
of Qadian: the legacy of non-
violent Jihad (inner struggle) by way of
reasoning and logical discourse.[18]
This legacy of the Promised Messiahas
continues to this day with his Successor,
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
,
Supreme Head of the Worldwide
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who
travels throughout the world to remove
misconceptions and to show the true and
beautiful teachings of Islam.[19]
Another factor that made this confine-
ment historically important, was that
this sacrifice of an Ahmadi missionary
opened the otherwise closed gates of
America for the active proselytisation of
the faith of Islam.
(Source: US Subject Index
to Correspondence & Case
Files of the Immigration and
Naturalisation Service 1903-
1959. Viewed on www.ancestry.
co.uk on 8 September 2015)
Legacy of the Promised
Messiahas
continues to this
day with his Successor;
Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmadaba
, Supreme Head of
the Worldwide Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community, who
travels throughout the world
to remove misconceptions
and to show the true and
beautiful teachings of Islam.
His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmadaba
at the European Parliament.
© Makhzan-e-Tasaweer

literary and missionary capabilities.
Richard Brent Turner describes him as
a “learned man”who “was a graduate of the
University of London, a philologist of inter-
national repute, and an expert in Arabic
and Hebrew whose work had been published
in [The] Philomath.”[33]
Nabil Echchaibi draws our attention to a
very important aspect of Mufti Sadiq’sra
contribution, in emphasising a Muslim
identity in America. He initiated the
publication of The Moslem Sunrise[34]
—
the first English-language Muslim
newspaper to be published in America.
[35]
This historic journal “featured articles
on the missionary work of the Ahmadiyya
leaders, introduced new Muslim converts to
the proper performance of religious rituals,
and defended Islam against misrepresenta-
tion in the American press.”[36]
Readers will
agree that this publication was a great
milestone for Islam in America. The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has his-
torically always been at the forefront of
demystifying myths and misconceptions
concerning Islam in the West.Under the
leadership of Khalifatul Masih V,Hazrat
Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
,Ahmadiyyat is
the torchbearer of actively taking the true
and peaceful message of Islam to the cor-
ners of the earth, primarily through the
teachings of the Holy Qur’an.[37]
The Ahmadiyya Tradition of
Winning Hearts
The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community,from its very inception,laid
emphasis upon the fact that Islam was
meant to be spread by winning hearts
not territories. He stressed that territo-
ries had been won alongside hearts in
the early phase of Islamic glory, but that
was a by-product of the political state-
of-affairs of the world at that time. The
second phase of Islamic glory, Hazrat
Ahmadas
taught, was to dawn upon the
world through winning hearts and not
political-geographic territories.[38]
This teaching has always been at the
heart of Ahmadiyya missionising.
Mufti Sadiqra
had set foot in America
with the same philosophy. Sally Howell
gave a very befitting description of
Mufti Sadiq’sra
efforts for propagating
the message of Islam to the American
public.She describes him as“an energetic
agent of Islam in the United States, speak-
ing at whatever public engagements he could
arrange, writing frequently to local news-
papers, and launching the Moslem Sunrise,
the newsletter of the Ahmadiyya Movement
in America.”[39]
Mufti Sadiqra
, and his co-missionaries,
had “attracted more than one thousand
immigrants.[22]
Mufti Sadiq’sra
appeal
to the higher immigration tribunal and
the federal authorities of America, thus,
played a pivotal role in opening up and
paving the way for people of “other-than-
white” ethnic origins in general, and for
the peaceful teachings of Islam in par-
ticular, to reach America.[23]
Sowing the Seed of Muslim Identity
All historians agree that Mufti Sadiq’sra
steps on American soil served as the
dawn of an Islamic identity in the
American nation.[24,25]
Yvonne Haddad,
with her co-author Jane Smith, declares
that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
was “unquestionably the most influential
group in African American Islam.”[26]
The
aspect of Mufti Sadiq’sra
approach that
attracted the Americans, especially the
African Americans, was his openness to
people of all ethnic origins.[27]
Richard
Brent Turner very justifiably sees the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as
“unquestionably one of the most significant
movements in the history of Islam in the
United States in the twentieth century, pro-
viding asit did the first multi-racial model
for American Islam.”[28]
Mufti Sadiqra
highlighted the anti-racist teachings of
Islam, that became highly attractive to
African Americans in particular.[29]
Mufti Sadiqra
,under the guidance of the
second Khalifah, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-
Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra
, proactively
“established mosques and reading rooms,
translated the Qur’an into English, and
countered what they saw asthe distortions
of Islam by the media.”[30,31]
Mufti Sadiqra
“missionised through lecturing and writing.
By May 1920, he had contributed twenty
articles on Islam to various American peri-
odicals and newspapers, among them The
New York Times. During his first year of
missionary work in the United States, he
delivered fifty public lectures on a variety
of subjects in American cities, including
Chicago, New York, Detroit, and Grand
Haven, Michigan.”[32]
Historians of Islam
in America all admire his intellectual,
Richard Brent Turner very
justifiably sees the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community as
“unquestionably one of the
most significant movements
in the history of Islam in
the United States in the
twentieth century, providing
as it did the first multi-racial
model for American Islam.”

NewThought-oriented institution, and the
Oriental University, which was affiliated
with the spiritualist UniversalTheomonistic
Association.”[46,47]
He was also awarded a
degree by Lincoln-Jefferson University,
Chicago,in recognition of his work.This
university was founded on the principle
that educational qualifications should be
made accessible to those who had a desire
to learn but could not afford,due to life-
style constraints or lack of finances, to
join established resident universities.[48]
Lincoln-Jefferson University would also
award honorary qualifications to indi-
viduals of the general public who had
achieved outstanding performance in
their disciplines of knowledge.[49]
The prophecy of Hazrat Ahmadas
, the
Promised Messiah, was thus fulfilled.
The Saga of Jazz Musicians
The arrival of Mufti Sadiqra
in America
“coincided with the height of the search by
African Americans for a new identity in
the American context.”[50]
As mentioned
above, the Islam brought to American
soil by the West African slaves had
become extinct with their deaths. Their
descendants were left without Islam but
with Islamic impressions on their very
troubled lives, where an identity crisis
plagued them.The Western African slaves
had called out Adhan (Islamic call to
prayer) and sang anthems while at work
in the fields. Their descendants carried
out this tradition with some similarities
and more variations.This musical impres-
sion left by the West Africans modified
and evolved into a musical genre known
as the blues. As more and more African
Americans migrated from rural areas
to cities, this genre gained popularity
and lead the African-American musi-
cians to create bands and try their luck
in other genres. This popularity created
more forms of music that have their roots
in the African melancholy songs of the
long-dead African slaves.
Some jazz musicians of international
renown, like the Grammy Award win-
ner Dr. Yusef Abdul-Lateef, joined the
Ahmadiyya Community. This genera-
tion of African Americans had inherited
the artistic rhythm of the adhan (call to
prayer) and they replaced the recitation
of the Holy Qur’an with music. This
nation found its lost soul in Ahmadiyyat,
which brought back the true, original,
artistic beauties of Islam. All sections of
American society were deeply moved by
the arrival of Islam, musicologists being
no exception.
converts, most of them African Americans
in cities such as Chicago and Detroit.”[40]
Historians credit the Ahmadiyya con-
tribution to Islam in America by
acknowledging that it was Mufti Sadiqra
who “established the first, and in some cases,
the only, centers for Islamic gatherings.”[41]
In 1923 alone, Mufti Sadiqra
“gave five
lectures at the UNIA [Universal Negro
Improvement Association] meetings
in Detroit and managed to convert forty
Garveyites to his faith.”[42]
Sylviane A Diouf credits the efforts of
Mufti Sadiqra
by crediting the fact that
the Ahmadiyya Movement provided
“Qur’ans and other Islamic literature in
English.”[43]
Mufti Sadiq’sra
contribution to the propa-
gation of Islam in the United States laid
the foundation for the Islamic identity
taught, practised and upheld by the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; the
identity of Islam as a winner of hearts
through the Ahmadiyya motto of “Love
for All, Hatred for None”[44]
.
A Prophecy Fulfilled
The services that Mufti Sadiqra
carried
out for the cause of Islam resulted in the
fulfilment of a prophecy. Mufti Sadiqra
always had an ardent desire to acquire
knowledge.While seeking a Bachelor of
Arts degree, he had partially qualified,
with one examination remaining. He
asked the permission of the Promised
Messiahas
to travel to Lahore to sit the
examination. The Promised Messiahas
replied, “You have already resigned from
state service, why should you seek further
qualifications? You do not need to attempt
for this examination,degrees will themselves
come to you.”[45]
Acknowledging his aforementioned qual-
ifications and the papers he read before
various learned societies and the articles
he wrote for a range of journals and news-
papers,he was awarded honorary degrees
by various British and American degree-
awarding bodies and universities of his
time.Mufti Sadiqra
“was awarded degrees
from the College of Divine Metaphysics, a
Historians credit the
Ahmadiyya contribution
to Islam in America by
acknowledging that it
was Mufti Sadiqra
who
“established the first, and in
some cases, the only, centers
for Islamic gatherings.”

African-American Experience (Bloomington,
Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1997),
115.
12. Richard Brent Turner, Islam in the
116.
13. Kambiz GhaneaBassiri, Religious
Normativity and Praxis among American
Muslims, in The Cambridge Companion to
American Islam (New York: Cambridge
University Press, 2013), 208.
116.
15. Ibid.
117.
University Press 2013), 208.
, The British
Government and Jihad, in Ruhani Khazain (liter-
ally translated ‘Spiritual Treasures’, being the
23 volume collection of the writings of Hazrat
Ahmadas
), Vol 17, London, 1984.
19. For a glimpse of the efforts of Hazrat Mirza
Masroor Ahmadaba
, see World Crisis and Pathway
to Peace, an anthology of various lectures,
addresses and correspondence by His Holiness
to audiences of global influence, www.alislam.
org/pathway.
117.
21. Agnes Foster Buchanan, The Overland
Monthly, California, April 1908.
117.
23. Definition of white given by American law
was only European in the aforementioned laws.
24. Kambiz GhaneaBassiri, Competing Visions of
Islam in the United States: A Study of Los Angeles
(Greenwood Press: 1997), 141.
Conclusion
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has
the honour and privilege to have taken
the message of Islam to America—the
nation now considered a superpower. A
nation that always questioned and con-
tinues to pose questions about Islam.
Mufti Sadiqra
, a devout companion
of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
of
Qadian, was chosen by Allah to be the
first ray of light to bring about the proph-
esied sunrise from the West.His intellect,
his fervour for sowing the seed of Islam
in the hearts of the American people,his
enthusiasm to bring about the revival of
Islam, and above all, his contribution to
Islam in America,is acknowledged by all
who knew him.
About the Author: Asif M Basit is Curator of
Ahmadiyya ARC (Archive and Research Centre)
and Director of Programming MTA International
abasit@mta.tv
endnotes
1. Sylvaine A Diouf, Muslim Minority Groups
in American Islam, in The Oxford Handbook of
American Islam (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2014), 15.
2. Ibid.
3. Sylvaine A. Diouf, Muslim Minority Groups
in American Islam, in The Oxford Handbook of
American Islam (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2014), 21.
4. Asif M. Basit,“The Holy War,”The Review
of Religions, accessed October 29, 2015, http://
reviewofreligions.org/8918/the-holy-war/.
5. A great range of foreign newspapers carried
Hazrat Ahmad’sas
correspondence with them or
covered his claims and prophecies.
6. Yvonne Y. Haddad & Jane I Smith, Muslim
Minority Groups in American Islam, in The
Oxford Handbook of American Islam (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2014), 146.
7. British Library shelfmark X.100/26796 pub-
lished in 1918, 4 Start Street London.
8. The Philomath, October 1921.
9. A description given in every issue of The
Philomath. Records can be viewed at the British
Library under shelf mark ‘General Reference
Collection Ac.9756.’
10. Al Fazl, Qadian, 11 December 1919.

light on the true concept of Islamic notion of
Jihad.
39. Sally Howell, Laying the Groundwork for
American Muslim Histories: 1865-1965, in The
Cambridge Companion to American Islam (New
York: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 52.
40. Michael Muhammad Knight, Converts
and Conversions, in The Cambridge Companion
to American Islam (New York: Cambridge
41. Kambiz GhaneaBassiri, Competing
Visions of Islam in the United States, (Westport:
Greenwood Press, 1997), 141.
42. Ibid.
43. The Oxford Handbook of American Islam
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 23.
44. Although the theme of this motto was
always a part of the Ahmadiyya teachings, but
the phrase as a motto was prescribed so by
Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmadra
(Third Successor
of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
).
45. The Al Fazl, January 4, 1944, reporting
on a speech by Mufti Sadiqra
on the Annual
Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community held in Rabwah on December 26,
1943.The text in speech marks is translated by
the author from Urdu, which is the language of
the original text.
46. Founded by Dr. Joseph Perry Green
in 1918. Dr. Green was a pioneer of The
Metaphysical Movement in America. He is
amongst the signatories on Mufti Sadiq’sra
degree.The college has ever since remained
functional.
47. Michael Muhammad Knight, Converts
and Conversions, in The Cambridge Companion
to American Islam (New York: Cambridge
48. Lincoln-Jefferson University Bulletin 1922-
1925, Vol. V, No. 1b (British Library Shelf Mark
R.ac.2691.ek).
49. Ibid.
50. Yvonne Y. Haddad & Jane I. Smith, Muslim
26. Yvonne Y Haddad & Jane I Smith, Muslim
27. Ibid.
109-110.
29. Sally Howell, Laying the Groundwork for
American Muslim Histories: 1865-1965, in The
Cambridge Companion to American Islam (New
York: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 53.
31. This mission is to this day carried out
under the guidance and instruction of
Khalifatul Masih (Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmadaba
,Supreme Head of the worldwide
Ahmadiyya Community) through his personal
and persistent efforts and the many bodies
established by His Holiness to demystify the
teachings of Islam when not only the Western
media but certain circles of so-called Muslims,
themselves, are vigorously distorting the face of
Islam.
118.
33. Ibid.
34. Later spelled The Muslim Sunrise. The jour-
nal is still published quarterly as a newsletter/
organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,
USA.
35. Nabil Echchaibi, American Muslims and the
Media, in The Cambridge Companion to American
Islam (New York: Cambridge University Press,
2013), 125.
36. Ibid.
38. Hazrat Mirza Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, The
British Government and Jihad, the work sheds

I
n the current socio-political
climate, international peace
and security are the most
critical issues of our time. With
violence, warfare and extremist groups
on the rise across the world, there
is a pressing need to protect the
freedom and liberty of all people.
Therefore, our only hope is the Islamic
principle of universal harmony while
safeguarding the rights of mankind.
But how can this be achieved?

On 6 October 2015,World Head of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the
Fifth Khalifah (Caliph), His Holiness,
,deliv-
ered an historic address at a special
session of the Standing Committee
for Foreign Affairs at the Netherlands
National Parliament in the country’s
capital city of Den Haag (The Hague)
in front of an audience of more than
100 dignitaries and guests. The formal
session commenced as Mr van Bommel
welcomed His Holiness to Parliament
and introduced the committee mem-
bers. He also welcomed various foreign
Parliamentarians, Ambassadors of State
and dignitaries representing countries
including Albania, Croatia, Ireland,
Montenegro, Spain and Sweden. We
present the keynote address delivered by
below
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad,
Khalifatul Masih Vaba
commenced with:
“Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem – In
the Name of Allah, the Gracious,
Ever-Merciful.
All distinguished guests,peace and bless-
ings of Allah be upon you. First of all, I
would like to take this opportunity to
sincerely express my gratitude to the
organisers of today’s event for inviting
me to address this gathering.
World Peace & Security
- The Critical Issues of
Our Time
ADDRESS BY WORLDWIDE HEAD OF THE
AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY AT THE
DUTCH NATIONAL PARLIAMENT
“If we analyse the situation
objectively, we realise that
world peace and security
is indeed the most critical
issue of our time.”

It is observed that powerful nations often
seek to benefit from the natural resources
of poor nations,without giving them the
appropriate share of their own assets.
Thus, there is a long list of possible rea-
sons as to why the peace of the world is
being disturbed, of which I have men-
tioned just a few.Whatever the causes, I
certainly believe the lack of peace in the
world to be the most precarious issue of
this generation.
Upon hearing this, many of you may
respond by saying that it is in Muslim
countries where we see the most instabil-
ity and the world’s lack of peace is rooted
in the disorder we see in the Muslim
world.
Indeed, because I am the leader of one
of the worldwide Muslim communities
– the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community –
perhaps you will consider that I too bear
some responsibility for this.You may also
believe that the birth of extremist groups
and the rise of terrorism is actually
inspired by Islamic teachings.However,it
is entirely unjust to associate Islam with
such disorder and hatred.
At this time, there is no need to speak
in detail about the history of religions,
but suffice to say that if we look at the
history of all religions objectively, we
see that over time the followers of every
religion moved away from the original
teachings and this led to internal divi-
sion and conflicts.People were killed and
great cruelties were inflicted.
Keeping this in view, I wholeheart-
edly accept that over time Muslims
have also moved away from Islam’s true
teachings. This led to frustrations and
rivalries developing, which in turn have
led to sectarianism, violence and injus-
tice. However, from the perspective of a
true Muslim,my faith does not decrease
upon observing the desperate state of
Islam today.
This is because over 1400 years ago, the
Founder of Islam, the Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
,prophesied that gradually
In today’s world we see that certain issues
are constantly being highlighted and
labelled as the most significant problems
of our time.For example,some people are
emphasising the threat of global warming
and climate change.
Then, there are some who are extremely
concerned about the escalation of vari-
ous conflicts and the increasingly volatile
state of the world.If we analyse the situ-
ation objectively, we realise that world
peace and security is indeed the most
critical issue of our time.Unquestionably,
with each day that passes the world is
becoming increasingly unstable and
dangerous and there are a number of
potential causes of this.For example,the
financial crisis and economic instability
that has affected many parts of the world
may be one major factor.
Another possible root cause is the lack of
justice displayed by certain world leaders
towards their own people and towards
others. A further reason may be the fact
that some religious leaders are prioritis-
ing their own personal interests above
the greater collective good, and are not
discharging their responsibilities with
sincerity. In terms of international rela-
tions,a major source of conflict may well
be the discrepancy between the rich and
poor nations of the world.
There is a long list of possible
reasons as to why the peace of
the world is being disturbed,
of which I have mentioned
just a few. Whatever the
causes, I certainly believe the
lack of peace in the world
to be the most precarious
issue of this generation.
I wholeheartedly accept that
over time Muslims have also
moved away from Islam’s
true teachings.This led to
frustrations and rivalries
developing, which in turn
have led to sectarianism,
violence and injustice.

Sustainer and Master of every single per-
son and of every form of Creation. He is
not only the Lord of the Muslims, but
He is the Lord of the Christians,the Jews,
and the Hindus and indeed of all people
- no matter their religion or beliefs.
God’s love and benevolence towards His
Creation is incomparable and unique.
He is also the Gracious and Merciful.
He is the Source of Peace. Thus, when
Islam stipulates that a Muslim should
seek to inculcate the Attributes of God
Almighty, it becomes impossible for a
true Muslim to harm others.Rather,the
faith of a true Muslim compels him to
love all of mankind and to treat every
person with respect,grace and sympathy.
It is often queried that if Islam is a reli-
gion of peace then why has the Qur’an
given permission for war? However,that
permission must be understood in its
correct context and in light of what I have
just explained.Maintaining long-lasting
peace is of paramount importance and
value.And,on certain occasions,punish-
ments or warnings are also required in
order to ensure long-term peace.
Accordingly, when permission for war-
fare was given by Allah the Almighty it
was given as a means of restoring peace
and only as a defensive measure.Thus, it
Islam’s teachings would become cor-
rupted and Muslims would enter into an
age of moral decline. However, he also
foretold that at such a time of spiritual
darkness, a Reformer would be sent by
God Almighty,as the Promised Messiah
and Imam Mahdi, to guide mankind
back towards the true and peaceful teach-
ings of Islam.
As foretold by the Holy Prophetsa
, the
Promised Messiahas
enlightened us with
the original and entirely peaceful teach-
ings of Islam.Thus,we Ahmadi Muslims
are not amongst those people who are
creating or partaking in today’s disorder
and unrest.Rather,we are the people who
desire peace in the world.
We are the people who seek to heal the
world. We are the people who seek to
unite mankind. We are the people who
seek to transform all hatreds and enmi-
ties into love and affection. And most
certainly, we are the people who make
every possible effort towards establish-
ing world peace. As a religious leader, I
wish to say that instead of blaming and
provoking one another, we should focus
upon building true and long-lasting
world peace.
In this regard the Founder of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has
informed us of a vital principle. He said
that to establish peace it was essential
that mankind sought to adopt and follow
the Attributes of God Almighty to the
best of their abilities. He said that this
was the way to ensure the continued well-
being of mankind. Indeed, he further
explained that the welfare and prosperity
of humanity,both physically and spiritu-
ally, was directly linked to observing the
Attributes of God Almighty, because it
was through His Attributes that all forms
of peace emanated.
This is reflected in the very first verse
of the Holy Qur’an where it states that
Allah is He who is ‘Lord of All the Worlds’.
This means that He is the Provider,
world peace & security -
the critical issues of our time
The Founder of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community has informed
us of a vital principle. He
said that to establish peace it
was essential that mankind
sought to adopt and follow the
Attributes of God Almighty
to the best of their abilities. When Islam stipulates that
a Muslim should seek to
inculcate the Attributes of
God Almighty, it becomes
impossible for a true Muslim
to harm others. Rather, the
faith of a true Muslim compels
him to love all of mankind…

he or she does not have true religious
freedom, whilst living in a non-Muslim
country,they must not engage in dissent
or lawlessness. Rather, they should leave
that country and migrate to a place with
more favourable conditions.
In chapter 16, verse 127 of the Holy
Qur’an,Muslim governments have been
commanded that if they are ever attacked
they must respond proportionately and
only to the extent of self-defence. Thus,
the Qur’an is very clear that punishment
should be limited and proportionate to
the crime committed.In chapter 8,verse
62 of the Holy Qur’an, Allah has said
that if your opponents have ill-intent and
are planning to harm you, but thereafter
decide to desist and move towards rec-
onciliation,you must immediately accept
their gesture and work towards a peaceful
resolution,no matter what their motiva-
tion is.
This Qur’anic teaching is a key principle
for maintaining international peace and
is an injustice of the very highest order
that certain groups or individuals seek to
associate the Holy Qur’an and the Holy
Prophetsa
with violence or cruelty. If we
study the Holy Qur’an and the life of the
Holy Prophetsa
in an impartial way then
we see that Islam is completely against
all forms of extremism and bloodshed.
Due to the limitations of time, I can-
not speak in detail but nonetheless,I will
mention certain basic Islamic teachings,
which prove beyond doubt that Islam is
a religion of peace. As I just said, a basic
and common allegation levelled at Islam’s
door is that it is a religion that promotes
extremism and warfare. However, noth-
ing could be further from the truth.
Thus, in chapter 2, verse 191, Allah has
commanded that war can only ever be
justified as a means of defence.This point
is reiterated in chapter 22,verse 40,which
categorically states that permission for
war is given only to those who have been
attacked and upon whom war is forced.
Further, where Allah the Almighty has
given Muslim governments permission
for war,it has been given only as a means
to secure religious freedom and freedom
of belief. Thus, in chapter 2; verse.194,
Allah has commanded Muslims that they
are not permitted to engage in any battle
or war where religious freedom already
exists.
Therefore, no Muslim country, group
or individual, has the right to engage
in any form of violence, warfare or law-
lessness, either against the State or its
people. Quite simply, in Europe and in
the West, the governments are secular
and so a Muslim can never have the right
to violate the laws of the land,to violently
oppose the government or to instigate
any form of rebellion or insurgency.
In fact, according to the true teachings
of Islam, even if a person considers that
It is an injustice of the very
highest order that certain
groups or individuals seek
to associate the Holy Qur’an
and the Holy Prophetsa
with violence or cruelty. If
we study the Holy Qur’an
and the life of the Holy
Prophetsa
in an impartial
way then we see that Islam is
completely against all forms
of extremism and bloodshed.
In fact, according to the true
teachings of Islam, even if a
person considers that he or she
does not have true religious
freedom, whilst living in a
non-Muslim country, they
must not engage in dissent
or lawlessness. Rather, they
should leave that country
and migrate to a place with
more favourable conditions.

teachings of Islam. Indeed, according to
reports,they are not just taking prisoners
but are also inflicting the most barbaric
cruelties upon their victims.
What these terrorist groups are doing
can only be condemned in the strong-
est possible terms. On the other hand,
the Qur’an teaches that even where
prisoners are justifiably taken, it is bet-
ter to exhibit favour upon them and to
release them wherever possible.A golden
principle for the establishment of peace
is given in chapter 49, verse 10 of the
Holy Qur’an, where it says that if there
is a dispute between nations or groups,
third parties should seek to mediate and
to bring about a peaceful resolution to
the conflict.
In the event of an agreement, if either
party unjustly seeks to subjugate the
other and contravenes the negotiated set-
tlement, then the other nations should
unite together and use force if necessary
to stop the aggressor.However,once the
aggressive party withdraws, they should
not be humiliated or unduly restricted.
Rather, they should be permitted to
move forward as a free nation and a free
society.This principle is of great signifi-
cance in today’s world and in particular
for the major powers and international
organisations such as the United Nations,
to act upon.
In terms of establishing world peace,
an extremely momentous principle,
ensuring universal religious freedom,
is enshrined in chapter 22, verse 41 of
the Holy Qur’an.The Qur’an states that
if permission for war was not granted,
then in addition to mosques, churches,
synagogues, temples and the places of
worship of all religions,would be in grave
danger.Thus, where Allah the Almighty
permitted the use of force it was not just
to save Islam but to save religion itself.
In truth, Islam guarantees the freedom,
liberty and protection of the people of
security.In today’s world,there are many
examples where countries have chosen
to develop very aggressive policies in
response to the perceived hostility of oth-
ers. It seems they act upon the principle
that, ‘It is better to destroy them, before
they destroy us’.
However, Islam teaches that no oppor-
tunity for peace should be wasted and so
even if there is only a glimmer of hope
then you must try and grasp it. In chap-
ter 5, verse 9, Allah the Almighty has
proclaimed that the enmity of a nation
or people should never incite you to act
otherwise than with justice and fairness.
Islam teaches that in all circumstances,
no matter how difficult,you must remain
firmly attached to the principles of jus-
tice and integrity.Thus,even in a state of
war,justice and fairness are of paramount
importance and when a war concludes,
the victor must continue to be just and
never resort to undue cruelty.
However, in today’s world we do not
find such high moral standards and
levels of integrity. Rather, after a war
is finished, countries impose sanctions
and restrictions that limit the progress
of the defeated parties and prevent their
nations from attaining true freedom or
independence.Such policies are harming
international relations and can only ever
increase frustrations and have a negative
impact.
The truth is that sustainable peace can
never be established until there is justice
at every level of society. Another impor-
tant teaching of Islam, which we find in
chapter 8, verse 68 of the Holy Qur’an,
states that Muslims are not permitted to
take prisoners outside of a state of war.
Hence, extremist and terrorist groups
who are taking prisoners for no rea-
son, are acting completely against the
Islam teaches that in all
circumstances, no matter
how difficult, you must
remain firmly attached to
the principles of justice and
integrity.Thus, even in a
state of war, justice and
fairness are of paramount
importance and when a war
concludes, the victor must
continue to be just and never
resort to undue cruelty.
Harry van Bommel, Dutch
Parliamentarian and Deputy Chairman
of the Standing Committee for Foreign
Affairs, meeting His Holiness.

the hateful activities of extremist groups
who are falsely justifying their evil acts
in the name of religion.
Furthermore,we must be sincere with all
nations and seek to help them, so that
each and every country can prosper and
realise its potential. The jealousies and
rivalries that we are seeing are a result of
a mad hunger for wealth. In this regard,
the Holy Qur’an has given a golden prin-
ciple stating that one should not covet
the wealth of others with greed. By fol-
lowing this teaching we can promote
world peace.
At every level of society,the requirements
of justice must be fulfilled, so that each
person, regardless of creed, caste or col-
our, is able to stand upon his or her own
two feet with dignity and honour.Today,
we are seeing many first-world countries
increasing their investments in the poorer
and developing nations.
It is imperative that they act with justice
and seek and do not merely utilise their
natural resources and cheap labour forces
for their own national gains and profit-
making. They should seek to re-invest
the majority of what they earn in those
countries and use the wealth to help the
local people develop and flourish.
To help those nations, if the developed
countries act in this way,it will not just be
of benefit to the poorer nations, but will
prove mutually beneficial.It will increase
trust and confidence and remove frustra-
tions that are building up.
It will eradicate the impression that the
wealthy nations care only for themselves
and desire to unjustly derive benefit
from the resources of the weak and
poor. Furthermore, it will be a means of
improving the local economies and so in
turn will elevate the world’s economy and
financial health.
Most certainly, it would be a means of
establishing a sense of global community,
compassion and humanity.And above all,
it will be the foundations for true peace
in the world.If we do not pay heed to this
then the state of today’s world peace will
lead to the outbreak of a disastrous world
war; whose repercussion will be felt for
generations to come and consequently
our generations won’t forgive us for this.
With these words, I would now like to
take your leave.May Allah enable for true
peace to emerge in the world.Thank you,
very much.”
all religions. Islam protects the right
of every individual to follow his or her
own chosen path or belief. I have nar-
rated before you just a few points from
the Holy Qur’an, which are the means
for fostering unity at all levels of society
and in all parts of the world. These are
the golden keys to peace that the Holy
Qur’an has handed to the people of the
world.
These are the teachings which were fol-
lowed perfectly by the Holy Prophet of
Islamsa
and his true companions.And so,
in conclusion, I would like to reiterate
once again that the world stands in des-
perate need of peace and security.This is
the urgent issue of our time.
All nations and all peoples must come
together for the greater good and unite
in their efforts to stop all forms of cruelty,
persecution and injustice, perpetrated in
the name of religion or in any other way.
This includes the mockery of any reli-
gion which can incite frustrations and
resentment and of course also includes
From left to right:
1. Hibatunnoer Verhagen, national president
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Holland.
2. Pieter Omtzigt (CDA party) ; Parliamentarian
and member of Christian Democratic Appeal.
3. Harry van Bommel (SP party) ; Parliamentarian
and member of the Socialist Party.
4. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, Worldwide
Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
5. Han ten Broeke (VVD party) ;
Parliamentarian and member of Peoples
party for Freedom and Democracy.
6. Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66 party) ; Parliamentarian
and member of Democratic party ’66.
7. Michiel Servaes (PVDA party) ; Parliamentarian
and member of Labour Party.
8. Theo van Toor, griffier (clerk for the
Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs).

The
Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
( g u i d e d o n e )
founder of
The members of my Jama’at,wherever they might be,should listen with
attention.The purpose of their joining this Movement and establish-
ing the mutual relationship of spiritual preceptor and disciple with
me is that they should achieve a high degree of good conduct, good
behaviour and righteousness. No wrongdoing, mischief, or miscon-
duct should even approach them.They should perform the five daily
Prayers regularly, should not utter a falsehood and should not hurt
anyone with their speech.They should be guilty of no vice and should
not let even a thought of any mischief, or wrong, or disorderliness, or
turmoil pass through their minds.They should shun every type of sin,
offence,undesirable action,passion,and unmannerly behaviour.They
should become pure-hearted and meek servants of God Almighty,
and no poisonous germ should flourish in their beings...Sympathy
with mankind should be their principle and they should fear God
Almighty. They should safe-
guard their tongues and their
hands and their thoughts
against every kind of impurity,
disorderliness and dishonesty.
They should join the five daily
Prayer services without fail.
They should refrain from every
kind of wrong, transgression,
dishonesty, bribery, trespass,
and partiality.They should not
participate in any evil com-
pany. If it should be proved
that one who frequents their
Responsibilities of an
Ahmadi Muslim
They should not design
harm against the followers
of any religion or the
members of any tribe
or group. Be true well-
wishers of everyone…

company does not obey God’s commandments...or is not mindful of
the rights of people, or is cruel or mischievous, or is ill-behaved, or is
seeking to deceive the servants of God Almighty by speaking ill or
abusively of them, or is guilty of imposture towards the persons with
whom they have entered into a covenant of bai‘at, it should be their
duty to repel him and to keep away from such a dangerous one.They
should not design harm against the followers of any religion or the
members of any tribe or group.Be true well-wishers of everyone, and
take care that no mischievous,vicious,disorderly,or ill-behaved person,
should be ever of your company,or should dwell among you; for such
a person could at any time be the cause of your stumbling.
These are matters and conditions that I have been urging from the
beginning, and it is the duty of every member of my Jama’at to act
upon them. You should indulge in no impurity, mockery or derision.
Walk upon the earth with good hearts,pure tempers,and pure thoughts.
Not every evil is worth fighting, so cultivate the habit of forgiveness
and overlooking defaults, and behave with steadfastness and meek-
ness. Do not attack anyone improperly, and keep your passions under
complete control.If you take part in a discussion,or in an exchange of
views on a religious subject, express yourself gently and be courteous.
If anyone misbehaves towards you,withdraw from such company with
a greeting of peace. If you are persecuted or reviled, be mindful that
you should not meet stupidity with stupidity, for otherwise you will
be counted in the same category as your opponents. God Almighty
desires that you should become a Jama’at that should set an example
of goodness and truthfulness for the whole world. Hasten to exclude
everyone from your company who sets an example of evil, mischief,
provocation and ill-behaviour. He who cannot dwell among us in
meekness,goodness and piety,using gentle words and comport-
ing himself in ways of good conduct, should depart from us
quickly, for God does not desire that such a one should dwell
among us. He will die miserably, for he did not adopt the way
of goodness. Therefore, be alert, and be truly good-hearted,
gentle and righteous. You will be recognised by your regular
attendance at Prayer services and your high moral qualities.He
who has the seed of evil embedded in him will not be able to
conform to this admonition.[1]
A man should not be conceited,nor indecent,nor ill-mannered
towards the fellow beings. He should act with love and good-
ness and should not bear ill-will towards anyone for personal
reasons.He should behave firmly or gently in accordance with
the occasions or conditions.[2]
endnotes
, Ishtihar (The Announcement), May
29, 1898. Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, Vol. 3, pp. 46-48, Eng.Translation: Hazrat
Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, Conditions of Bai’at and Responsiblities of an
Ahmadi (Tilford, Surry: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2006),
85-87.
, Malfuzat, new edition, Vol. 5, p. 609,
Eng.Translation: Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, Conditions of Bai’at
and Responsiblities of an Ahmadi (Tilford, Surry: Islam International
Publications Ltd., 2006), 87.

The Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
treatment of neighbours
The Holy Prophetsa
always treated his neighbours with
extreme kindness and consideration. He used to say that
the angel Gabriel had emphasised consideration towards
one’s neighbours so often that he sometimes began to
think that a neighbour would perhaps be included among
the prescribed heirs. Abu Dharrra
relates that the Holy
Prophetsa
said to him: “Abu Dharrra
, while broth is being
cooked for your family, add a little more water to it so that
your neighbour might also share in it.”This does not mean
that the neighbour should not be invited to share in other
things but, as the Arabs were mostly a migratory people
and their favourite dish was broth, the Holy Prophetsa
referred to this dish as a typical one and taught that one
should not think so much of the taste of the food as of the
obligation to share it with one’s neighbour.
Abu Hurairara
relates: “On one occasion the Holy Prophetsa
exclaimed:‘I call God to witness that he is not a believer! I call
God to witness that he is not a believer! I call God to witness
that he is not a believer!’The Companions inquired:‘Who is not
a believer, O Messenger of Allahsa
?’ and he replied: ‘He whose
neighbour is not secure against injury and ill-treatment at his
hands.’ On one occasion when he was addressing women, he
said: ‘If anybody finds only the foot of a goat to cook, that per-
son should share it with his or her neighbour.’ He asked people
not to object to their neighbours driving pegs into their walls
or putting them to any other use which occasioned no injury.”
Abu Hurairara
relates:“The Prophetsa
said:‘He who believes
in God and in the Day of Judgement should occasion no
inconvenience to his neighbour: he who believes in God
and in the Day of Judgement should occasion no incon-
venience to his guest, and he who believes in God and in
the Day of Judgement should utter only words of virtue
or should keep quiet.’”[1,2]
© Masood T
endnotes
1. Sahih Muslim.
2. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra
, Life of Muhammadsa
,
(Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publications Limited, 2013), 232-233.

Barriers to Illegitimate Accumulation
of Wealth in Islam
Prohibition of Interest (Riba)
Islam forbids lending and borrowing of
money on interest, which also entails
certain limits on commerce. It is ironic
that this country’s intellectuals tend to
look with favour on Communism, and
yet are inclined to support an economic
order based on interest. The fact of the
matter is that interest has been the most
important cause of economic and finan-
cial catastrophes in the world.
Interest enables a shrewd and clever busi-
nessman to accumulate vast amounts of
money, which then enables him to con-
trol markets or establish large factories,
thereby reducing many people to perpet-
ual economic subservience. If one were
to examine the list of the world’s richest
men,it would be found that it was made
up of mostly people who owe their rise to
interest.They start with a small amount
of capital but soon establish a reputation
of creditworthiness, which allows them
to leverage their small personal capital
many times over via bank borrowing and
overdrafts, thereby becoming super-rich
in just a few years.There are others, who
may not have any significant amount to
invest, but use their wit and contacts to
cultivate relationship with bank managers
The Economic
System of Islam Interest enables a shrewd
and clever businessman to
accumulate vast amounts
of money, which then
enables him to control
markets or establish large
factories, thereby reducing
many people to perpetual
economic subservience.
by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra
We continue with the serialisation
of the epic lecture delivered by the
Second Worldwide Head of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,
later published as a book titled,
The Economic System of Islam.
In this fourth part of the series,
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din
Mahmud Ahmadra
speaks about
the harms of interest and the
Islamic solution to this problem.
To read the first three parts, visit our
website, www.reviewofreligions.org.
ra
Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad
THEECONOMICSYSTEMofISLAMMirzaBashir-ud-DinMahmudAhmad
U
ra

Islam adopts a rather broader definition
of interest.According to the Islamic defi-
nition, certain transactions, which are
generally not considered to fall within
its purview, nevertheless fall within its
domain and are therefore prohibited.
Islam defines interest as any transaction
where the profit is guaranteed.Therefore
all trusts, (local monopolistic arrange-
ments) which are set up to guarantee
profit by destroying competition, are to
be considered un-Islamic. For example,
suppose fifteen or twenty large businesses
in a country got together and formed a
monopoly that fixed prices and restricted
competition.Then a commodity that sells
for (say) two rupees in a competitive mar-
ket could sell at an artificial monopolistic
price of (say) five rupees.Since everyone
would be colluding to sell the commod-
ity at five rupees, consumers would not
be able to shop around for the best price
and would have no choice but to pay the
higher price.
Smaller businesses would not have the
ability to compete with such trusts. Even
if they tried to compete by reducing the
price,the trust with its monopolistic power
would start a price war,which they would
find impossible to win.Thus,all monopo-
listic arrangements are dangerous both for
the country and for the global economy.
In connection with certain commer-
cial schemes of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, I once had the occasion to
collect information concerning the shel-
lac business, which requires only a small
capital to set up and is confined to cer-
tain areas of India, notably the Patiala
state.I was surprised to discover that one
single European firm had established a
monopoly over its trade. On enquiring
as to how this monopoly had emerged, I
learned that other firms were very small,
while this firm was doing business of far
greater magnitude.It not only controlled
the shellac trade,but was also engaged in
trading wheat,cloth,jute and other prod-
ucts.If any business ventured to compete,
the European firm would reduce the
shellac price so low that a new entrant
could not survive for long. In fact the
new entrant was often made to sell its
remaining inventory to the European
firm, which would then recoup its lost
earnings by raising the shellac price.That
is how the firm managed to maintain its
monopoly power and did not allow a
competitor to come in. It is as such evi-
dent that all monopolistic arrangements
that seek guaranteed profit,hurt the pub-
lic at large and are therefore against the
Islamic precepts.
to borrow large sums of money. Only a
tiny percentage of the rich make their
entire money from personal capital.
Interest is one of the most destructive
economic forces in the world and a major
hurdle that stops the poor from mov-
ing forward. It is thus imperative that
mankind rid itself of interest. If the rich
were unable to borrow money on inter-
est, they would be left with one of two
choices: they could expand their business
by including more people in their part-
nership,which would of necessity involve
spreading the earnings over a wider
group of people; or, alternatively, they
would not be able to grow their business
and become a hindrance to other small
businesses. Either way, there would be a
more equitable distribution of wealth. It
would also prevent the accumulation of
wealth into the hands of a few people,
which is extremely dangerous and det-
rimental for overall economic progress.
Unfortunately despite the clearly vis-
ible harmful effects of interest, people
remain entangled in the deadly web of
interest, and do not ponder over the
destructive impact that this financial
system has at national and international
levels. Ironically, even the supporters
of Communism do not escape from
this trap, for they do not find anything
wrong with interest even though it is the
root of capitalism.There are communists
around the world who do not see any-
thing wrong with interest, and as such
end up inadvertently lending support to
the very foundation of capitalism.
the economic system of islam
Unfortunately, despite the
clearly visible harmful effects
of interest, people remain
entangled in the deadly
web of interest, and do not
ponder over the destructive
impact that this financial
system has at national
and international levels.
© Shutterstock | hidesy

that is a need of the people must not be
artificially hoarded. The word used for
hoarding is ihtikar which primarily refers
to the hoarding of food grains.But in line
with the Islamic rules of jurisprudence,
this injunction would be interpreted
broadly to cover all goods that are with-
held from the market with the intent of
raising the price.
Injunction Against Artificial
Lowering of Prices
Similarly, Islam does not permit that
prices be forced down by artificial means,
because, as mentioned above, this too
enables unscrupulous traders to stran-
gle their rivals by forcing them to sell at
reduced prices.
During his reign, Hazrat Umarra
, while
inspecting the market, came across a
trader from outside Madinah who was
selling dried grapes at prices that local
producers and traders could not compete
against. Hazrat Umarra
ordered the man
to remove his produce from the mar-
ket or to sell it at the price prevailing in
Madinah. When asked for the reasons
of this order, Hazrat Umarra
replied that
without such an order the local mer-
chants would have suffered a loss even
though they were not charging an undue
price.
It is true that some companions ques-
tioned the validity of this order in view
of the saying of the Holy Prophetsa
that
market prices should not be interfered
with. However, their objection was not
well founded, since the prohibition
Similarly, cartels formed across coun-
tries are also unlawful under the Islamic
economic system. Such cartels involve
businesses belonging to different coun-
tries, which get together and agree on
a price for a particular commodity.
While trusts are monopolistic arrange-
ments between local businesses, cartels
are formed across countries. For exam-
ple, firms from America and England,
or America, England and Germany, or
England and India might come together
to agree on the terms for trading in spe-
cific commodities. Suppose these firms
entered into an agreement in the chem-
icals industry, which is largely in the
hands of American,English and German
firms; if firms from these countries were
to collude in fixing the prices of medi-
cines, the world would be compelled to
pay the higher prices, and deliver the
negotiated profits to the cartel network.
The system of cartels is so dangerous
that many governments are troubled by
it. Just a few days ago the government
prosecuted some businesses on anti-
trust charges and even punished them.
Islam is against any mechanism that
leads to guaranteed profit and hence the
monopolisation of wealth in a few hands.
It seeks to ensure that money continues
to circulate throughout the economy so
that the poorer segment of society also
has a chance to improve itself.Thus,car-
tels and monopolies are not allowed in an
Islamic system of governance.
Withholding Supplies from the
Market Forbidden
Islam also demands that supplies should
not be deliberately withheld from the
market with the purpose of artificially
boosting prices.If a person hoards goods
for this reason, he does so by going
against the Islamic principles.If a trader
has wheat but deliberately withholds its
supply from the public in order to raise
prices, he is engaged in a sinful activity,
according to Islamic teachings.
Some people believe that regulation of
markets by the state is a modern eco-
nomic concept, but Islam has always
recognised its need. The British have
now come to recognise that hoarding
with the purpose of extracting higher
prices is not good for the economy, but
Islam recognised it 13 centuries ago. An
Islamic government would require that
no trader could hoard his goods, and if
any trader were found to be doing so,the
government would be entitled to force
liquidation of his inventory at appro-
priate market prices. Thus, the broader
Islamic principle mandates that any good
Some people believe that
regulation of markets by the
state is a modern economic
concept, but Islam has always
recognised its need.The
British have now come to
recognise that hoarding with
the purpose of extracting
higher prices is not good
for the economy, but Islam
recognised it 13 centuries ago.
© Shutterstock | Tang Yan Song

Measures Adopted in Shariah to
Achieve a Just Economic System
Zakat
Islam introduced the system of zakat,
which is a 2.5% annual tax on wealth
that is held in the form of gold, silver,
currency or other assets for a period of
more than a year. The proceeds of this
tax are used to promote welfare of the
poor. Thus, if a person has 40 rupees in
his possession and he keeps the money
for the entire year,he must pay one rupee
as zakat to the government.
It should be noted that this is not an
income tax on earnings. Instead, zakat
is payable on accumulated wealth and is
spent for the welfare of the poor. Zakat
is due on all kinds of wealth, whether
coins,animals,produce,jewellery or other
tradable assets. However, jewellery that
women use normally, and especially if
they also occasionally share it with less
fortunate women, is exempt from zakat.
According to Islamic scholars,if jewellery
is used only for personal use and is not
shared with poor women, zakat should
preferably be paid for it. In any event,
Islam strictly mandates that zakat be paid
on those pieces of jewellery that are not
in common use.
Zakat is payable every year as long as
the wealth in one’s possession does not
fall below the taxable minimum. Zakat
is paid not only on capital but also on
the accumulated profit that it fetches.
The moral basis of zakat is that if any-
one, despite all the provisions against
excessive accumulation of wealth, still
manages to accumulate money, the
against state intervention in market
prices by the Holy Prophetsa
pertained
to interference with the free interplay
of supply and demand.The government
should avoid undue interference, as it
would provide no benefit to consum-
ers while inflicting serious losses upon
traders.
The validity of this principle is borne
out by recent events. The government
failed in its attempt to fix the wheat
price because,in the prevailing war con-
ditions, no trader was able to sell at cost
price and remain in business. The result
was that the normal market activity for
wheat came to a standstill and a black-
market emerged. Starving people were
ready to buy wheat at whatever price they
could afford. The price that was fixed at
six rupees a maund[1]
by the government,
at once soared to 16 rupees in the black
market. People did not even report to
the government about the black mar-
ket because their survival depended on
it. Several months ago, I had drawn the
government’s attention to this danger but
this warning went unheeded. The right
course was adopted only after a great deal
of suffering and serious unrest among the
public. The earlier wheat price control
order was meant to safeguard farmers’
interests, but in reality the farmers lost
heavily while the traders netted large
profits.
In short, the Holy Prophetsa
prohibited
only improper interference with price
levels or unnecessary disruption in the
normal operation of supply and demand.
He did not forbid regulation to check
abnormal price movements whether
prices are driven artificially high or arti-
ficially low. The prohibition of ihtikar,
which is firmly established according
to the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa
,
also bears this out, because ihtikar only
means that artificial increases in prices
be checked. Therefore, Hazrat Umar’sra
action, although an interference in the
market,was a necessary regulation; it was
consistent with shariah and demonstrated
a sound principle of Islamic teachings.
The aforementioned are the three sources
of unlawful wealth accumulation that
Islam has prohibited. In this manner,
Islam blocks all channels that lead to the
unlawful and excessive accumulation of
wealth.
Since clever and shrewd people might
still find ways to accumulate excessive
wealth, to the detriment of the less for-
tunate, Islam has adopted the following
means to address this problem.
Islam introduced the system
of zakat, which is a 2.5%
annual tax on wealth that is
held in the form of gold, silver,
currency or other assets for a
period of more than a year.The
proceeds of this tax are used to
promote welfare of the poor.
© Shutterstock | Zurijeta

from the mine.Any excess income saved
by the owners of the mine for over a year
will be separately subject to zakat year
after year. In this way, the government
has a direct ownership stake in the mines.
It also has a share in the money saved
from excess income of the mines, which
it collects for the benefit of the poor.
Voluntary Charity
Islam also enjoins individuals to offer vol-
untary charity. It is prescribed for every
person and is to be given to orphans and
the poor and for the care and support of
the weak. This emphasis on charity also
helps to redistribute the wealth so that
it does not excessively accumulate in the
hands of a few.
Islamic Law of Inheritance
If despite the above safeguards an indi-
vidual still manages to leave behind
money or property after his death, it
would be redistributed among his fam-
ily members immediately after his death
according to the Islamic law of inher-
itance. Islam does not allow anyone to
leave his estate to any single heir, but
instead his property must be distributed
to all legal heirs. All sons and daughters
are given a legal share, as well as par-
ents, wife, and husband, and, in certain
instances, even brothers and sisters. The
Holy Qur’an clearly states that no one
is allowed to deviate from these rules
and pass on his property to a single heir.
Islamic law forcefully distributes a per-
son’s property after his death to all legal
heirs, and every relative must be given
the share prescribed in the Holy Qur’an.
It is surprising that while people favour
interest, which causes great financial
inequity in the world, they are against
the enforced distribution of the wealth of
a deceased among all legal heirs.Instead,
they allow a single son to inherit the
entire estate, thereby causing wealth to
remain perpetually concentrated in a sin-
gle family.
However,in the Islamic system no matter
how wealthy a person, his wealth will be
redistributed,generation after generation
until his progeny is at the same level as
Islamic government will tax a portion of
it every year,on grounds that,because of
their hard work,the poor have a right and
a share in the wealth accumulated by the
rich.Therefore, a system has been put in
place to take away the due right of the
poor from the rich every year.
Khumus—One-Fifth Royalty on
Mining
A second means for accumulating undue
wealth is through the exploitation of
mines.Islam deals with this issue by giv-
ing the state the right to impose a royalty
of one-fifth of the produce of the mine.
This fifth is due on any income derived
© Shutterstock | iurii
Islam does not allow anyone
to leave his estate to any single
heir, but instead his property
must be distributed to all legal
heirs. All sons and daughters
are given a legal share, as well
as parents, wife, and husband,
and, in certain instances,
even brothers and sisters.
Islam also enjoins individuals
to offer voluntary charity. It
is prescribed for every person
and is to be given to orphans
and the poor and for the care
and support of the weak.

The Review of Religions November 2015

The Review of Religions November 2015

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (18)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (11)

Similar to The Review of Religions November 2015

Similar to The Review of Religions November 2015 (14)

More from muzaffertahir9

More from muzaffertahir9 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

The Review of Religions November 2015