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Lesson - 57
Aal Imran (Family of Imran)
"Say: O Allah, Owner of the Kingdom, Thou givest
the kingdom to whom Thou pleasest, and takest away the kingdom from
whom Thou pleasest, and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest
whom Thou pleasest. In Thine hand is the good. Surely, Thou art
Possessor of power over all things. Thou makest the night to pass
into the day and Thou makest the day to pass into the night; and
Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth
the dead from the living; and Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou
pleasest without measure." (Ch. 3:25,26)
In my previous lesson on these verses I had mentioned that the
heavens and earth obviously belong to One Who has created them,
and He Who owns them is indeed their real Ruler. Man who comes to
this world empty handed from his mother's womb and leaves it in
a similar state, is in fact a vicegerent of the real Master. From
amongst mankind He gives power to whom he wants, and takes away
power from whom he wants, despite the fact that man may exert his
utmost effort to stay in power. The Quranic words, "In Thine hand
is the good," indicate that Allah gives power to someone for the
sake of goodness and if that person loses it, it is his own fault.
Western domination prophesied by the Holy Quran
Power can belong to an individual or a nation. In the last few
centuries, on an international level, one cannot site a global historical
example similar in scope to the worldwide western domination. A
case in point is that of the British who rose as a small island
nation and eventually dominated the whole world. They would proudly
remark that the sun never sets on the British empire. The British
empire was marked in red on the world maps of the era and one could
see the red color everywhere on the map.
Besides the British, other western nations had their own colonies
spread throughout Africa, Asia and the West Indies. Was such international
domination achieved by these nations on there own? This was certainly
not the case. The Quranic verses under discussion tell us that the
giving of the kingdom is in the hands of Allah the Most High. This
was a manifestation of His Will and was prophesied in the Holy Quran
ahead of time in the verse:
"Even when Gog and Magog are let loose and they sally
forth (yansiloon) from every elevated place" (21:96).
The commentators of the Holy Quran and the preachers had conceptualized
the Gog and Magog as a strange creation. This opinion did not change
until the Imam and the Mujaddid (Reformer) of the 14th century
Hijra, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, upon receiving revelation from
Allah, the Most High, pointed out that Gog and Magog were the western
Christian nations who were let loose in this age. Not only did he
identify them, but also pointed out that their letting loose meant
their coming out of their small nation states, where they were confined,
and gaining world dominance. Their sallying forth from every elevated
place, which the Holy Quran mentions, indicates that they will take
possession of all the places of importance that were worth taking.
People at the time did not understand or appreciate this exposition
of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Now, however, they all seem to understand.
For example, the famous poet and philosopher of the East, Dr. Sir
Muhammad Iqbal, has written:
"All the armies of the Gog and Magog have been let loose,
The eye of the Muslim should behold this explanation of the (Quranic)
word yansiloon" (See above verse 21: 96).
Maulana Muhammad Ali, the famous commentator of the Holy Quran,
has also given a unique explanation of the sallying forth of Gog
and Magog from every elevated place. In his book, the Ahmadiyya
Movement, on page 114 he states:
"This can have only one meaning, that Europe will dominate
the world. In fact, by using the phrase kul-i hadabin (every
elevated place), it is indicated that this domination will include
not only the land and the physical elements, but will also be
inclusive of their influence over the human psyche and their superiority
in scientific knowledge, for the word hadab (elevated place)
signifies all of this. The dominant influence of Europe over the
rest of the world and its way of thinking provides truthful testimony
in support of the Quranic statement, 'and they sally forth from
every elevated place' (21:96). Thus the matter, which at present
has become the apparent means of weakness and domination of Islam,
is itself also a clear proof of its truth."
For what purpose did the European colonialist powers use their
political and military might and the effect of their scientific
development over the thought process of the subject nations? It
was obviously utilized to hold and establish their power in the
colonies, in fact to perpetuate it forever. To accomplish this,
they evolved a premeditated scheme to convert the subject nations
to their own religion, Christianity. According to this scheme, hordes
of missionaries, doctors with Christian evangelistic fervor and
teachers of missionary schools, belonging to both genders, were
let loose in the towns and villages of the colonies. They received
support from the local European officials who in those days were
in charge of every district and branch of Government. The power
of government was used to influence people to convert to Christianity.
The colonial subjects of the backward African nations could only
receive education, employment and medical assistance if they converted
to Christianity. The people of the Indian subcontinent, which had
not yet divided into the countries of Pakistan and India, were somewhat
more sophisticated. They were, however, also enticed to accept Christianity
by the offer of educational opportunities and medical assistance
through missionary schools, colleges and medical dispensaries. In
addition to this, employment opportunities, land grants, favorable
business contracts and all other forms of facilities were offered.
Historical and documentary evidence can be sited in support of
this statement, that it was the official policy of the British Government
to encourage conversion of its colonial subjects to Christianity.
In the Urdu publication Ulama-i-haq aur unke mujahiddana kar-namay
translated by Syed Muhammad Mian Sahib (administrator of Jamiat-ul-ulema-i-Hind)
on page 25 it is stated that a member of the British parliament,
Mr. Inglis, while speaking on this subject remarked: "The Lord God
this day has made us witness to the British sovereign rule over
the Indian empire so that the banner of Jesus the Messiah may fly
from its one end to the other. Every individual should spend all
of his strength to accomplish the glorious task of converting India
to Christianity and should not show any apathy in this matter."
Mr. Charles Wood, the minister for India, who was in charge of
the affairs of the Indian Government, remarked in his conversation
with a delegation which had met with him on this matter in 1862:
"It is my firm belief that every new convert to Christianity in
India becomes a new link of unity with England and is a new source
of strength for the empire." The British Prime Minister stated in
his speech to the parliament: "It is my understanding that we are
all united in our purpose. Not only is it our duty, but our own
interest lies in this matter that we encourage propagation of Christianity
as much as possible and spread it all over India."
Of note also is the opinion of the high ranking British officials
in India. For example, the Governor of India Sir Henry Lawrence
said: "Nothing can strengthen our rule more then this that we spread
Christianity through out India." Sir Donald McLeod, who was the
Governor of the Punjab, remarked: "I want to express my firm belief
that if we want to safeguard our rule in India, we should strive
our utmost to convert this country to Christianity."
When the British Prime Minister, the Minister for India and the
Governor were all articulating this policy, it becomes quite obvious
that instructions in this matter were also given to the British
officers in India who were in charge of all the key positions in
the Indian districts and subdivisions. These blatant pressure tactics
led to the rebellion of 1857 in India. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who
was considered a friend and well-wisher of the British, wrote in
his book, "The causes of the Indian Mutiny", that the prime reason
for the mutiny of 1857 was the blatant pressure of the British officials
upon the people to convert to Christianity. The mutiny of 1857 was
crushed by the British with their military might in such a manner
that the people did not dare to rise again.
I will inshallah (if Allah please) in the next lesson elaborate
further on the relationship of these historical events with the Quranic
verses I quoted earlier in this lesson.
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