The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Blog

Material from the archives of ‘The Times’ of London related to the Woking Muslim Mission

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.

New, revised and enlarged edition of “A Mighty Striving”

I have pleasure in presenting to you the new, second edition of “A Mighty Striving”, the biography of Maulana Muhammad Ali, translated from the Urdu book Mujahid-i Kabir, with extra material added.

Here is the link.

Zahid Aziz

Insecurity of Pakistani Muslims

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

Ikhtalayfaat-e-Silsilaa-e-Ahmadiyya kay Usbaab: by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

Opponent of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement has translated this Khwaja sahib book into English. I neither read original book in Urdu or its English translation ‘Causes of the internal dissensions in the Ahmadiyya Movement’. Someone who has read original book may also read its translation. If translation turns out to accurate then, with permission of translator, it can be posted on LAM official website: www.aaiil.org

Link to Original Book in Urdu:
http://aaiil.org/urdu/books/others/khwajakamaldin/ikhtaylaafsilsilaa/ikhtaylaafsilsilaa.shtml

Link English translation:
http://www.qern.org/wiki/display/qarchives/Causes+of+the+internal+dissensions+in+the+Ahmadiyya+Movement

In-camera proceedings on Qadiani issue: Speaker releases report

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

BUSINESS RECORDER (Pakistan’s Financial Daily) November 15, 2011

In-camera proceedings on Qadiani issue: Speaker releases report
November 15, 2011

The Federal Government Monday unveiled 37-year-old secret proceedings of joint sitting of the Parliament of 1974 that put Qadianis outside the pale of Islam.

The Speaker of the National Assembly released a 21-volume official report on the proceedings of the Special Committee of the whole House held in-camera to consider the Qadiani issue.

The first in-camera joint sitting was convened in 1974 by the then Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, to discuss the situation after anti-Qadiani riots.

Business Recorder already has published an exclusive story on August 19, 2011, informing its readers that the Federal Government may unveil 37-year-old secret proceedings of the Parliament.

Two volumes of this report are available with Business Recorder.
Well-placed sources in the National Assembly told Business Recorder that the House is likely to debate on the report.

The Sources said that only the Speaker of the National Assembly has the authority to declassify secret proceedings of the Parliament.

The outcome of the discussions of joint sitting of the Parliament in 1974 was the passage of the constitutional amendment Article 260(3)(b).” A look on these documents shows arguments of various members including Chairman of the Special Committee of the Whole House, Sahibzada Farooq Ali.

A delegation of Mirza Ghulam Ahmed took part in the proceedings to answer queries.

Speaking on behalf of Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, Mirza Nasir Ahmed gave answers to many questions from the members in the first sitting of the session.

See: http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/single/599/172/1251267/

Hell, stones and men

Sometimes one reads words uttered by someone, not in any Islamic context, which are reminiscent of a passage in the Holy Quran. A German soldier describes the ferocious battle of Stalingard between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1942 as follows:

“We have fought during fifteen days for a single house. The front is a corridor between burnt-out rooms; it is the thin ceiling between two floors … The street is no longer measured by meters but by corpses … Stalingrad is no longer a town. By day it is an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke; it is a vast furnace lit by the reflection of the flames. And when night arrives, one of those scorching howling bleeding nights, the dogs plunge into the Volga and swim desperately to gain the other bank. The nights of Stalingrad are a terror for them. Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.”

See: www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_stalingrad.html and many other references.

Compare this with the following words in the Quran:

“…be on your guard against the fire whose fuel is men and stones; it is prepared for the disbelievers” (2:24).

Response to a challenge

Note by Admin: Jamal submitted the following as a comment on an existing thread. I have made it a new post.

@Rashid:

Here is the reference you requested:

سو یہ بات کہ اسؔ کو اُمّتی بھی کہا اورنبی بھی۔ اس بات کی طرف اشارہ ہے کہ دونوں شانیں اُمتیت اور نبوت کی اُس میں پائی جائیں گی
“Thus, the fact that he is called “Ummati” and also “Nabi” indicates that both the qualities of “Ummatiyyat” and “Nubuwwat” will be found in him.” (Ruhani Khaza’in, Volume: 3, Page: 386, Book: Izala Auham)

Now, can I get my $1000, or are you going to insist in a childish way on the fact that the two words must be attached together? Just like the Jews and Christians laugh at the Qur’an when it mentions in surah 48 the signs of Muslims as they are supposedly written in the Torah and Injil, but which do not exist in exactly those words in either the Torah or the Gospels? I hope that you will not be so stubborn, and that you will accept that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad has said here that he is both “Ummati” and “Nabi” in the same sentence.

Let’s see how ready you are to give away those $1000. Personally, I think you are just bluffing. After such a clear reference, how can anyone with a sincere heart and who fears Allah claim that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad did not write that he is both Ummati and Nabi? If anyone asked him: “Are you an Ummati Nabi?” He would reply: “Yes, as I had written in Izala Auham.”

You will probably not even let this post go through. I am not expecting you will have the sincerity to allow people to see the truth and to see the flaws in your views exposed.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s biography

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?

Who is the Judge?

Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.

Opponents of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (HMGA) keep challenging Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement (LAM) members to provide reference from the Holy Quran to the point which he referred. And if we can provide proofs we will get so much monetary reward.

Other times these opponents allege that HMGA wrote such and such statement, and this is what he meant by his statement. They accuse LAM members to distort meaning of HMGA statement.

For many years i use to debate with these opponents after reading few pages before and after the quote to better understand the context of HMGA quotes. Many times those quotes were not from HMGA books. They were either from writings of HMGA opponent, or were from Malfoozat (NOT writings of HMGA), Tazkara (NOT a book written by HMGA), newspapers articles (reported by listeners in Badar, Al Hakam). After I spent many hours these opponents without acknowledging their mistake would just vanish and then reappear under different usernames on internet forums and again start making allegations. It was obvious these opponents are not sincere in opposition and not honest enough to admit their misunderstanding. Finally I came up with following strategy:

1- If opponents of HMGA want me to answer their allegation then they must provide HMGA quotes from his published books that he himself authored.

2- Before making allegation opponent should read ten pages before and after the HMGA quote under discussion.

3- Opponent should state under oath with invitation of Allah’s wrath on his children, family and himself, that whatever objection/ allegation he is making, he is convinced in his heart after reading the ten pages before and after the HMGA quote to fully understand the context, and he is writing with all honesty what he believes in his heart.

4- All I wanted was to hold opponents words against themselves. If they were honest in their assertion then they should have no problem stating their statement under oath that they were making otherwise.

5- As it became clear that either these opponents were making false statement or after reading the context of quote they were convinced that it does not mean what they previously thought. Instead of accepting their mistakes they like JEWS OF JESUS TIME, keep on repeating their false statements, without taking oath and inviting Allah’s writ to punish liars.

6- Many times these opponents of HMGA are also “moderators” of the anti-HMGA forum, and blogs. But instead of showing the honesty and bravery by clearly stating that poster and moderator is the same person, they use different user names. These moderators keep deleting my posts and banning me on their forums and blogs.

7- When I remind them that Allah SWT says in Holy Quran when there is no witness or judge to decide between the two parties then take oath and invite Allah to decide between them and punish the liars. These opponents delete my posts and ban me.

8- I keep reminding these opponents, as there is no court and judge on internet with temporal powers to punish the liars, as was the case in South African courts in 1980s between LAM and anti-HMGA people. There Judgments were issued in favor of LAM and anti-HMGA people were punished. Unfortunately, anti-HMGA posters on internet are not willing to invite Allah SWT to judge between them and LAM member. The most notorious in this regard are Akbar Ahmad Chaudhry (spokesman for Khatam-e-Nabuwat Academy, UK) he acts as poster and moderator under different names on ahmedi.org, and Shahid Ahmad Kamal (speaker of Khatam-e-Nabuwat Academy, UK) poster and moderator of thecult.info

Now these opponents of HMGA have adopted another strategy, of announcing a monetary reward to those who can provide proof and/or answer their questions. These anti-HMGA people understand very well that unless there is judge with temporal powers in this world there is no way to extract monetary reward from them nor they can be punished for making false accusations. So they can make as much false statements as they wish, and nobody in this world is there to stop them. Again they are not willing to invite Allah SWT to act as a judge. But there is limit to Allah’s patience and signs of Allah’s patience running out are evident. It is evident from the statement at the bottom of home page of anti-HMGA website based in UK. These opponents of HMGA who are willing to murder follower of HMGA on the drop of the hat in Pakistan are forced to write on ‘Second Hand Islam’:

“We, at Secondhand Islam, reject all forms of violence that may be directed towards innocent members of the Qadiani Cult. As Muslims we believe that no individual/organisation has the right to take the law into their own hands and harm another creation of Allah.”

http://www.secondhandislam.co.uk/

These ‘Second Hand Islam’ people have given ‘Five Challenges’. Being member of LAM, I am willing to take their challenge, ONLY IF they can point out the judge with temporal powers who can extract money from them and reward it to me.

http://www.secondhandislam.co.uk/five-challenges.php

I am emailing this post to ‘Second Hand Islam’ people through their ‘Contact Us’.

Solution to wealth gap problem between 1% and 99% Americans

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.