Miracles, Myths, Mistakes and Matters — See Title Page and List of Contents
See: Project Rebuttal: What the West needs to know about Islam
Refuting the gross distortion and misrepresentation of the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad and Islam, made by the critics of Islam
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I have compiled the following article about a quotation attributed to George Bernard Shaw ("I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality….") which should be of general interest:
www.ahmadiyya.org/islam/bernard-shaw.htm
Zahid Aziz
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
After a recent terrorist attacks in Paris, there is a surge of videos on internet in which Muslims living in Western Europe are seen pledging their loyalty to their respective non-Muslim governments. Some videos by Muslims, while using profanities asks fellow Muslims if they want to live in non-Muslim European country then they batter live as peaceful citizens, follow the laws of the land and if they disagree with governmental policies then they should follow the legal path and ask courts to ban certain law, but in no case take law into their own hands.
Current events and response by Muslims living in Western Europe and North America takes me back 150 years. In later half of 19th century two important events took place in Muslim world. One was end of Sikh rule in Punjab and take over by British rulers, that allowed Muslims to practice Islam free of persecution including return of Mosques to Muslims for worship and permission to repeat Azan (summons to prayer) [Ref: Masson, Charles. 1842. Narrative of Various Journeys in Balochistan, Afghanistan and the Panjab, 3 v. London: Richard Bentley (1) 37)]. The other was rise of Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah [Mahdi Sudiani] (1884-1885) who claimed to be the promised Mahdi. His rebel army was able to defeat the British rulers in Sudan and kill Governor General Charles George Gordon (1833-1885).
In last quarter of 19th century in India, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad started his mission to defend Islam with pen against the onslaught of Christian missionaries. This turned Christian missionaries against him. Christian missionaries lost in debates with him. When he made claim of the promised Messiah, some Muslims turned against him. They too lost in debates with him. British rulers in India were playing a neutral role so far. When HMGA made claim of promised Mahdi, both Christian missionaries and Muslim opponents of him joined hands, and made efforts to get him incarcerated in order to stop his mission. As HMGA mission was a pure religious mission and not a political mission, so in order to prevent hindrance in his mission he openly appreciated freedom to practice Islam by Muslims granted by British rulers and at the same time published his pledge of allegiance to British government. His mission was to convert the Christian rulers to Islam. In this effort he invited Queen Victoria to accept Islam as her religion. He wrote book ‘The British Government and Jihad’. I am sure if Muslim opponents had not created hindrance in his life, and wasted his precious time, he would have achieved much more in his lifetime. Anyways, as a result of his open support of British rulers, his opponents failed in their mission. But this did not stop his opponents and their progeny to this day from accusing HMGA of being ‘agent of non-Muslim rulers’. These opponents have very easily forgotten that it was they in first place who created such situation for HMGA that he had to publically announce his allegiance to non-Muslim rulers in India.
Now situation in West is such that even if there is false accusation on some Muslim living in Western Europe and North America, they will find police knocking at their door to interrogate and possibly arrest them. Today situation in these countries for Muslims is no different than what HMGA had to face in his life under British rulers in India. When Muslim gets picked up by police in the Western countries they do not hesitate to lick boots of government officials to win back their freedom, but then at the same time they come on internet and question HMGA for his allegiance to non-Muslim European rulers in India.
Opponents of HMGA feel NO SHAME in criticizing HMGA when they themselves go far and beyond to prove their innocence and allegiance.
I take current behavior of Muslims in Western Europe and North America as proof of truthfulness of HMGA. I would rather say, today majority of Muslims living in Western Europe, North America, Russia and Australia are in practice followers of HMGA. They all follow him by being loyal to the non-Muslim rulers and governments in their respective countries.
A friend suggests that a statement by the Iranian leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei addressed to the youth of the West would be interesting to read. Here is the link to it.
Although entitled "The recent events in France…", it was written before the recent attacks in Paris, after the earlier attacks of January this year.
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
For purposes of law and administration Ahmadis are non-Muslim minority in Pakistan. Today Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif addressed a Hindus gathering on occasion of their religious festival of Diwali. His gesture was highly appreciated in news media. Commentators praised and used words such as this is what founder of Pakistan wanted, and today his speech reminds us of vision of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. At the same time comparison between NS and Narendra Modi were drawn. Comparisons were drawn to highlight how tolerant and caring for minorities Pakistani PM is versus Indian PM. Fine. I agree so far. But question is whether PM NS is himself a fair person and Pakistani society is fair society that gives PM confidence to speak fairly in his speech? PM NS while presenting himself as PM of ALL of Pakistanis mentioned names of all minorities in Pakistan i.e. Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and Parsis EXCEPT Ahmadis. I don’t think PM was counting Ahmadis among Muslims, rather reality is that he could NOT even verbally say that he considers himself PM of Pakistani Ahmadis too. What a height of intolerance in Pakistan.
Please watch following video clip at 00:28:55
Submitted by Ikram.
While browsing Woking Muslim Mission archives (link) in the journal Islamic Review & Muslim India, August 1917, p. 337, I came across an article by Marmaduke Pickthall ‘Islam and Progress,’ which he opens with the following paragraph:
THE opinion prevalent in Christian countries with regard to El Islam is that, as compared with Christianity, it is a religion essentially unprogressive, and to some extent degrading to the human intellect. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The sort of lethargy, comporting ignorance and superstition, which has weighed upon the Muslim masses for the last three centuries, is the result of historical circumstances very similar to those which darkened Western Europe in the period before the Renaissance. It has little more than a geographical connection with the Muhammadan religion; and now, with the revival of a scientific education, it is at an end. It would be a serious mistake to suppose, in view of the relatively backward state of the Islamic world, that El Islam itself is unprogressive in the modern meaning of the word. How can it be, when one reflects that modern progress is the outcome, not of any Christian doctrine, but free, thought, and that Islam: unlike Christianity, prescribes free thinking as a duty for believers.
With the above read, the verse of Quran, in its chapter ‘Al-Rum – The Byzantines,’ resonated in my mind:
30:30. So pay your whole-hearted attention to (the cause of) faith as one devoted (to pure faith), turning away from all that is false. (And follow) the Faith of Allâh (-Islam) to suit the requirements of which He has made the nature of humankind. There can be no change in the nature (of creation) which Allâh has made. That is the right and most perfect Faith, yet most people do not know (it). [Nooruddin]
In the same issue of Islamic Review, a few pages down, in Editor’s mail [p. 353] is a letter under the title – ‘MORNING STAR OF A CREEDLESS FAITH – which apparently is excerpted from the letter of a Minister to the Unitarian Church:
There is so much in your Faith that rings harmonious with my own deepest belief that I hardly think it necessary to mention points on which there is a difference, and I cannot help thinking that an unprejudiced reading of such publications as the ISLAMIC REVIEW would do much to prepare the way for the rising of that "Morning Star of a Creedless Faith" which, if I interpret aright, was the dream of Jesus and the Faith of your Holy Prophet.
‘Morning Star of a Creedless Faith’ is a quote within a chapter ‘The Idea of a Church’ in the book ‘God, the Invisible King’ by H. G. Well (p. 185, link) that was published in the same year as Islamic Review. I could not help but reproduce it in its entirety below.
Due to its length this post is continued below as a comment.
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
Two or three days before his death, in 1908, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad sahib wrote his last book ‘Message of Peace’. HMGA had foreseen Hindu-Muslim tension based on religion. To prevent escalation and bloodshed between the followers of these two religions he wrote his book and gave practical suggestions to avoid mayhem. HMGA made one such suggestion that out of respect for Hindus religious feelings, Muslims should stop slaughtering and eating meat of Hindus deity Cow, and Hindus should stop disrespecting and making vituperative attacks on Holy Prophet Muhammad SAWS.
Of course no one among Muslims cared for HMGA suggestion. Last 100 years history is witness to what followed. Hindu-Muslims riots, extreme was in 1947 at time of independence from British rule, then wars between India and Pakistan. In India there have been continuous riots against Muslims. Riots took place in State of Gujrat when Narendra Modi was its Chief Minister. And riots and killing of Muslims taking place in India, on cow slaughter and consumption of its meat by Muslims, when Narendra Modi is Prime Minister of India.
The way new laws are enacted in India in recent days, slaughter of cow and eating of its meat by Muslims will become a serious crime. Muslims will be prevented from eating cow meat. On other hand Hindus will make more bold vituperative attacks on Holy Prophet Muhammad SAWS.
I wish Muslims in India had listened to HMGA, and today situation could have been prevented.
Once again it is proved that Muslims who do not listen to appointees of Allah SWT learn through hard way.
Message of Peace by HMGA: http://www.ahmadiyya.org/bookspdf/mess-pc.htm
Link to news on cow slaughter in India: http://www.firstpost.com/tag/cow-slaughter
During the period of Headship of Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Din, when Mirza Mahmud Ahmad returned from performing the Hajj to Makkah, some welcome meetings were held for him in Qadian. One such meeting, attended by the Hazrat Maulana, was held on 14th January 1913, and was organized by the pupils of the Ahmadiyya religious school. At the request of the gathering Mirza Mahmud Ahmad made a speech about his journey. This event, along with the speech, is reported in Badr, 30 January 1913, pages 17-18.
In this speech he mentioned various questions and objections that he encountered from people during the journey and his answers to them. He relates one of these as follows:
"Then a man raised the objection that the Holy Prophet has said that in every century there will be a group in his Ummah who will receive salvation, but you (i.e., Ahmadis) say that after the Companions till today all Muslims have been kafir as they believed that Jesus is alive. I replied to him that we do not call non-Ahmadis as kafir because of their believing in Jesus to be alive. We call them kafir because they call the followers of Mirza sahib, who are Muslims, as kafir. Therefore, under the Holy Prophet's order, we call them kafir because they call Muslims as kafir." (p. 18, column 2)
This speech was, of course, made almost two years after his well-known article of April 1911, in which he declared all other Muslims to be kafir, all those who "decline to accept his claims", "even if they called him a righteous person with their tongues".
See the image of this part of the speech below.
The image of the complete report in Badr can be read in pdf format at this link. The report begins in the 3rd column of the first page (p. 17). I have marked appropriate points by red lines.
Earlier this month I received an e-mail sent by Mr Akber A. Choudhry to a list of people including me. It pointed us to his website (I say "his website" because the link he sent carries his personal copyright notice at the bottom) where a Qadiani Jamaat publication has been uploaded containing the proceedings of a debate between Qadiani Jamaat and Lahore Ahmadiyya representatives at Shimla (formerly spelt as Simla).
In this debate each party put forward its arguments before an impartial, non-Ahmadi Muslim arbitrator as to its interpretation of the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The arbitrator's verdict, printed in this book, is presented to show that he ruled that the Qadiani explanation of his claim, that he claimed to be a prophet, was correct.
I sent a preliminary reply to Mr Akber A. Choudhry's e-mail, but he gave no response. I have now compiled an article on the subject at this link.
I wonder if he will care to respond (I am sending him a link to this blog post).
His webpage says: "These proceedings represents the closest we will get to the original positions and it includes many very interesting references and interpretations."
This statement shows the gross ignorance which we have come to expect from anti-Ahmadiyya websites. The "references and interpretations" in these proceedings can be found extensively in Qadiani and LAM literature, including on the Qadiani and LAM websites, and were a matter of common discussion for decades.
Zahid Aziz
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
In life of HMGA, news of Marxist movement in Russia was reaching India. In that time HMGA had ilham (divine revelation) that Islam will spread in Russia, and its followers will be like grains of sand. On the surface it did not make sense, as Marxists were preaching against following of religion of any kind. Maulana Noor-ud-Din sahib asked HMGA, “You’re saying Islam will spread in Russia and events are progressing against it”. HMGA replied, “Don’t worry. Slate is being cleaned. Color [of Islam] will hold fast”. Anyways, history is witness Marxist movement culminated into a Bolshevik revolution in 1917, and then world saw the brutal communist rule for next 70 years. In this era all religions including Islam was suppressed with iron fist. New mosques were not allowed to be constructed. Except the few that could be counted on finger tips, mosques were closed. Muslim prayers and rituals were closely monitored. Today almost 100 years later, Russia’s powerful president Putin inaugurates the largest mosque in Europe. Allah-O-Akbar.
LIVE: Putin opens Moscow’s biggest mosque
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JU_pCy2N10
On this inauguration congratulations to all Muslims of the world and especially to those who respect HMGA.
Eid Mubarak to all readers.
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri
I read an interesting new statement by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan:
“State will take action against those calling others infidels: Nisar”
Dawn online/ September 7, 2015:
ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday said the state will now take action against those calling others kafir (non-Muslim), adding that the government had already tackled hate speech and glorification of terrorists in the first phase.
My question: Does interior minister have the courage to take action against Mehmudis (those qadianis who hold belief that QK2 Mirza Mehmud Ahmad was “Musleh Mahud”) and Pakistani Muslim opponents of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movment?
http://www.dawn.com/news/1205480/state-will-take-action-against-those-calling-others-infidels-nisar
According to an article published by BBC Urdu the total number of Ahmadiyya community in India is One hundred thousand.…
----Jul 27, 18:49