The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Blog

Archive for the ‘general’ Category

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

‘Dictionary of Holy Quran’ authored by Maulana Abdul Manan Omar sahib is very popular among Black American Muslims belonging to Imam Warith Deen Muhammad organization. It is used in their Holy Quran teaching classes and in their Arabic Language teaching classes. In their organ ‘Muslim Journal’ a weekly section based on this dictionary is published. Recently this organization did a blog talk radio interview of Maulana Abdul Manan sahib’s son Professor Hibbatul-Manan Omar, Ph.D. (alias Khalid Omar). This interview is about life and academic works of Abdul Manan Omar sahib. Hopefully readers of this blog will find this interview informative. It is in English.

Please copy-paste the following link in your browser window:

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

Simple answer is YES. Before I make my case that USA has already or is without realizing implementing Shariah, I would refer to following article published in NY Times:

In Islamic Law, Gingrich Sees a Mortal Threat to U.S.

By SCOTT SHANE

Published: December 21, 201

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/us/politics/in-shariah-gingrich-sees-mortal-threat-to-us.html?_r=1&ref=us

My reasons:

1- In early part of 2010, an American CIA contractor murdered two Pakistanis in Lahore. Murderer life was spared as American administration people themselves or their friends on American’s behalf paid ‘Blood Money’ to victims’ families as part of compensation. This is an example of Americans at the highest level practicing a provision of Shariah. Given the economic and social problems caused by United States overflowing prison population and failing prison system, I am confident in due time, this provision of Shariah will be implemented within United States.

2- Communist Economic system has failed, and Capitalist Economic system is in tatters. Americans are protesting to move away from Capitalist economic system, towards the middle ground, which fosters entrepreneurship, individual incentive, safety nets in society and securities. This is an example of Americans yearning for provision of Shariah.

3- In early twentieth century in USA there was prohibition on alcohol. Now with advancement in knowledge of negative effects of alcohol consumption, numbers of Americans despising alcohol is increasing. And time will come when prohibition will again be placed and majority of Americans will accept that. This will be another example of Americans adopting another provision of Shariah.

4- Today in USA books (‘Love Times Three’ www.lovetimesthree.com) are written and reality TV shows (TLC show ‘Sister Wives’) are produced on lives of polygamists. Three to four wives of one husband. Polygamists make their case that there is nothing odd or abnormal to live in a polygamous relationship, although it is not for everyone. More interestingly law enforcement agencies are not enforcing law against these open polygamists. Americans tolerance is increasing towards polygamy. Time will come in USA when under ‘freedom of religion’ and ‘in pursuit of happiness’ as guaranteed by US constitution law against polygamy in US will go into trashcan of history as many other laws in this country has already gone. When Americans will strike down law against polygamy, they infect will be implementing one more provision of Shariah.

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) bowl.

People who ridicule Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by sketching his cartoons or otherwise are unable to comprehend Love of Muslims for him. Similarly, Qadianis should also understand why Muslims hate them when they use words reserved for Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his wives and his family, for their Qadiani Khalifas II-V.

Youtube video on Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) bowl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjRDoMW8QaY&feature=share

I have been adding further material recently to this website (www.wokingmuslim.org), and would like to refer our readers in the USA to the excellent account from 1935 by a very scholarly man from the USA, Col. Donald S. Rockwell, of why he embraced Islam.

The direct link is: www.wokingmuslim.org/pers/converts/col-dsr.htm

Elizabeth Potter from www.myfellowamerican.us has sent me the following e-mail.

Hello again

I thought that you and the readers of The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Blog would be interested to know that last week Lowe’s Home Improvement pulled its ads from the TLC show All-American Muslim in response to an organization claiming the show “falsely humanized Muslims in America.” The Lowe’s controversy has exposed more Islamophobia in America. This issue falls directly in line with what the My Fellow American project is trying to prevent and overcome in America.

As a supporter of the project, would you please visit www.myfellowamerican.us to share what this controversy means to you? I encourage you to ask your readers to do the same to help spread the message of tolerance to fight back against intolerance and fear-mongering. We’ve just posted a host of new content from various entertainers and faith leaders on this topic.

Three years ago I conducted a search of the online archives of The Times newspaper of London to find articles relating in any way to the Woking Muslim mission or the history of the Woking Mosque, and found almost fifty articles over the period 1884 to 1984. Recently I have been organising these items and placing their images on the Woking Muslim Mission history website. Please see:

www.wokingmuslim.org/thetimes-archive/

Regarding the report, “22 March 1967, Id-ul-Adha at the Woking Mosque, prayers led by Colonel Baines-Hewitt”, I was present on that occasion.

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

In an article, on Lakshmi Building in Lakshmi Chowk, Lahore, in Dawn newspaper online edition the author points out to addition of phrase ‘Allah-hu-Akbar’ has replaced statue of Lakshmi goddess.

Author writes: “In the recent intervention on the façade carcass, all the details have been painted a rather sharp tone of blue, while the remaining has been painted a slightly brown shade of white. The words ‘Allah-hu-Akbar’ have replaced the statue of the Lakshmi Goddess, almost as if to mock its original historical and cultural background. The Lakshmi façade makes strong visual references to Hindu mythology by way of its overall detailing. That being said, the presence of the takbeer on an evident Hindu image raises the question as to how distressed and insecure Muslims might have become as a community that they feel the need to impose their belief onto something that belongs to a completely different set of beliefs.”

All I can say, Pakistani Muslims have no idea of rational and intellectual strengths of Islam.

Lakshmi chowk’s volte face
http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/25/2115149.html/comment-page-1#comment-353206

Submitted by Ikram.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali – Search for Solace, a Biography

I came across Yusuf Ali’s biography on Google Books. Following are some interesting facts:

Comment about LAM members

Page 79: In April 1927, [Maulana Syed] Sulaiman Nadvi counts Lahori Ahmadis – Maulvi Muhammad Ali, Khwaja Kamaluddin, [Majeed] Salik and [Ghulam Rasoon] Mehr among the learned in Lahore along with Allamah Iqbal, Yusuf Ali and others. [footnote 27 on page 87]
————

Some observations about Yusuf Ali’s translation of Quran and grasp of Arabic

Page 105: “…Yusuf Ali’s lack of competence in Arabic was also raised: ‘He is publishing an English translation of Qur’an, though I am informed by those who know him personally, he does not know a word of Arabic, his translation being based wholly on other English and Urdu translations.’ [footnote-56]

Page 117, footnote 56: The Light of Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore came to defense of Yusuf Ali – read details for yourself.
————
Page 109: “…His [YA] regular activities included a regular tafsir class at Islamia College, at which a member of staff would read from Qur’an, then Yusuf Ali would follow up with a commentary in English, an arrangement that often led to a mixup…” [footnote – 66]

Page 118, footnote 66: Supporting facts that Yusuf Ali was apparently quite weak in Arabic i.e. Yaran-Maktab: Tehrik-i-Pakistan aur Islamia College, ibic, p. 191-192. On one occasion there was some confusion over which verses were to be discussed and after commencing Yusuf Ali realised that his commentary was not related to what had been read out in Arabic. He quickly rose and left the meeting but later apologised to the staff member.

————
To this section, I will add my previous post, which stands corroborated in light of above facts and time line of 1930’s:

The following was personally told to me by a senior Jamaat member (now deceased), who was then a young law student in Lahore and a part time assistant to Maulana Muhammad Ali:

“Abdullah Yusuf Ali of Anjuman Himayat Islam would literally almost daily walk across the street (Brandreth Road Lahore) to Ahmadiyya Anjuman to get corrections/reviews by Muhammad Ali for his translation.” [paraphrasing is mine]
————

Yusuf Ali as loyal British subject

Page 87, footnote 26: From Yusuf Ali’s presidential address to the History and Civics Section of the Punjab Educational Conference, December 1926 – Yusuf Ali’s Empire-Loyalism was in full swing: “Above the Government of India we have an Imperial tie, which is symbolized by the British flag, the flag of the British empire. The flag is a symbol. It is even possible for us to have a distinctive national flag and yet to recognise and cherish the Imperial tie…If you strain at the the leash, the fault may possibly be yours. The leash is elastic. I know of no character more adaptable than the British character, and no institutions more responsive to local needs than British institutions. It is for you to understand them and then to adapt them to your needs in the common bonds of empire.”

Page 82: Suggests that Yusuf Ali was possibly spying for British on his trip to Baghdad in 1928.

The above is a British loyalist who is quite rightly cherished for his English translation of Quran in the Muslim World, and was recipient CBE (Commander of the Order of British Empire) for his service Her Majesty. In the same breath we have other “Sirs” of India including Sir Syed Ahmed Khan of Aligarh fame who wrote the book “Reasons for the Mutiny in India.” Unlike rest of Muslims of India, he never called the 1857 events as war of independence. Sir Muhammad Iqbal of Shikwah/Jawab-e-Shikwah wanted independent country for Muslims as British protectorate. Any how, these greats deserve respect for their services to Muslims of India. On the other hand, I do not recall Mirza Ghulam Ahmad being awarded any British title. I wonder why he is called “British agent” unlike the other title holders? He is the only Muslim in the world who invited the British Queen to Islam, thus following the sunnah of Muhammad PBUH who invited the kings of his time to the faith. Think hard!
————

Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad in Islamia College

Page 99: Yusuf Ali was re-appointed principal of Islamia College Lahore on April 15, 1935 at a monthly salary of Rupees 1350 per month by a committee under Allamah Muhammad Iqbal. Earlier Muhammad Asad [Leopold Weiss] was hired to teach fiqh at Rupees 250 per month for the initial probation of six months and Rupees 300 per month thereafter.

Page 114-5, footnote 34: Letter 1 – July 12, 1934 & Letter 2 – July 31, 1934 ; Muhammad Asad to Muhammad Iqbal – Read details for yourself.
————
Page 103: While he was principal of Islamia College, Yusuf Ali was setup by Sikandar Hayat Khan (a Unionist) to seek election in 1937 from a rural seat in Shaikpura, that he accepted. He was to contest against Jinnah’s Muslim League.

Page 106: Yusuf Ali is then duped by the same Sikandar Hayat and Maulvi Ghulam Mohiuddin Qasuri instead won unopposed. I wonder, if this gentleman belonged to the same Qasuri family that usually secures a Ministerial seat in successive Pakistani governments?

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

World is watching protests at Wall Street in New York City. According to protestors they represent bottom 99% Americans and are protesting against top 1% Americans. They are protesting over huge wealth gap between the two groups of Americans.

In 2006 a documentary ‘The One Percent’ was directed and produced by Jamie Johnson, an heir to the multinational pharmaceutical/ chemical company Johnson & Johnson. This documentary is about the growing wealth gap between America’s wealthy elite and the citizenry on the whole.

Documentary has interviews with number of prominent, intellectuals, and wealthy Americans. On one end of spectrum of interviewees is Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate in Economics, the creator of ‘Trickledown economics theory’ and on other end is Ralph Nader, famous US politician and consumers advocate.

Throughout the film Jamie Johnson searches for the solution to economic disparity, particularly in USA. None of the people interviewed provide the solution. They say they don’t want communism or even socialism but they don’t give any workable solution. At the end of the film, Jamie interviews his own father, himself a member of 1% group, he admits the problems, but also admits he has no solution.

I wish these intellectuals had read 15 pages of Chapter 2 in Maulana Muhammad Ali book ‘The New World Order’, originally written in 1942. (Link to book.) Documentary could have provided solution Americans are searching for. Blogger Ikram very aptly wrote elsewhere: Capitalism has not won; it is only lasting little longer.

I have come across the following website where some Muslims groups criticise and reject certain beliefs of Dr Zakir Naik:

http://www.cifiaonline.com/drzakirnaik.htm

I refer to the following section in this link:

[quote]

“(7) DR. NAIK’S QADIYANI BELIEFS
In his speeches and writings Dr. Naik claims that advent of Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) has been mentioned in Hindu scriptures. He has made this claim thousands of time in his lectures.

People will be surprised to know that Dr. Naik’s rhetoric on this subject is a direct copy of the work titled “Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) in world scriptures” written by Abdul Haq Vidyarthi Qadiyani (1888 – 1977), a missionary of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.”

[unquote]

To prove this, they say: “we have provided a summary of comparison between Dr. Naik’s works and that of the writing in Vidyarthi Qadiyani’s book; which is identical – word-by-word.”

Here they provide a link to a document (this document will open in Microsoft Word, so here is a local pdf copy I created).

This document consists of extracts from my article on this subject, to which they have given their own title as follows:

Comparison of work of Zakir Naik Salafi and Abdul Haq Vidyarthi Qadiyani By Zahid Aziz Qadiyani

Apart from misrepresenting us as “Qadiyani”, they have omitted those parts of my article which show that the Maulana rendered a very great service to Islam by his research into Hindu scriptures.