The Review of Religions February 2018

Untold Stories: From
Prison to Prayer
12
Sound Bites: FGM No
Tolerance Day
18
God in the Age of
Science
22
Why I Believe in Islam
40
VOL. 113 - ISSUE TWOFEBRUARY 2018 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
BEYOND
THE
WORLD
GOD IN THE AGE OF SCIENCE

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
©makhzan-e-tasaweer
founder of
the review of religions
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.
WORLD FAITHS
Seeking Knowledge
He grants wisdom to whom He
pleases, and whoever is granted
wisdom has indeed been granted
abundant good; and none
would be reminded except those
endowed with understanding.
ISLAM, THE HOLY QUR’AN,
2:270
There is no one who goes out of his
house in order to seek knowledge,
but the angels lower their wings
in approval of his action.
ISLAM, SUNAN IBN MAJAH,
HADITH 226
The more an individual advances
in knowledge and cognizance of
God, the more they begin to feel
the need to know more.There
are certain things which, in the
beginning, seem to be meaningless,
but having advanced further,
they come to know that those
very points were real and true.
ISLAM, THE PROMISED
MESSIAHAS
, MALFUZAT, VOL
3, 193
Let the wise also hear and gain
in learning, and the discerning
acquire skill, to understand a
proverb and a figure, the words
of the wise and their riddles.
The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge; fools
despise wisdom and instruction.
JUDAISM, TORAH, PROVERBS,
1:5-7
If any of you is lacking in
wisdom, ask God, who gives to all
generously and ungrudgingly, and
it will be given you.
CHRISTIANITY, THE BIBLE,
JAMES 1:5
A good, all-round education,
appreciation of the arts, a highly
trained discipline and pleasant
speech; this is the highest blessing.
BUDDHISM, SUTTA NIPATA
261
Confucius said, ‘Broaden your
knowledge of the Classics, restrain
it with ritual, and you are unlikely
to deviate from the Way.’
CONFUCIANISM,
ANALECTS 12.15

12 Untold Stories
18 Sound Bites:
International Day of Zero
Tolerance for FGM
AYESHA MAHMOOD MALIK, UK
22 Beyond the World:
God in the Age of Science
Demanding empirical evidence
to see God is the equivalent
of closing your eyes and
asking to be shown the smell of roses.
So how can we find God?
UMAR NASSER, WEST MIDLANDS, UK
40 From The Archives:
With the ever increasing scrutiny on
Islam, have you ever thought why
people believe in this religion? The
2nd
Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community answers in exquisite detail.
HAZRAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMADRA
,
KHALIFATUL MASIH II
50 A Glimpse into the Life of the
Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
52 Dispatches From...
New Scientist Live 2017
Meet Prof Lucie Green, a solar
physicist at University College
London’s Mullard Space Science
Laboratory
MUSA SATTAR, UK
58 Righteousness
A forgotten word in the age of vice.
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS
, THE
PROMISED MESSIAH AND IMAM MAHDI
68 Calendar of Religious Events
Front cover picture:
Sergey Nivens | Shutterstock
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 2018 VOL.113 - ISSUE TWO
18
5240
58
22

MANAGEMENT BOARD
Munir-Ud-Din Shams (Chairman), Syed Amer Safir (Secretary), Mubarak Ahmad Zafar, Abdul Baqi Arshad,
Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, Naseer Ahmad Qamar, Abid Waheed Ahmad Khan, Aziz Ahmad Bilal
WORLD
CRISIS
M I R Z A M A S R O O R A H M A D
PEACE
andthePathway toent times.The
fest newer and
similarities to
War continue
ts are moving
ards a horrific
sroor Ahmad,
iyya Muslim
t approaching
and chart a
D
E
WORLDCRISISandthePathwaytoPEACEMIRZAMASROORAHMAD
Please Note.
Background colour:
C=10
M=10
Y=0
K=100
From His Holiness – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
– comes a groundbreaking vision for how to estab-
lish long-lasting peace in a world fraught with rapidly
increasing disorder and unrest. His Holiness reminds
world leaders that the flames of war are already burn-
ing through local and regional conflicts and we stand
at the precipice of another world war. If these sparks
were to truly ignite we could witness the horrific
reality of a nuclear war, whose consequences are
unimaginable. His Holiness is the Worldwide Head
and Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
– which has tens of millions of followers in over
200 countries.
World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace is a collection
of the historic addresses and letters by His Holiness to
world leaders and influential figures. In this book, His
Holiness offers consummate analysis on all aspects
of the global crisis; political, economic, social and
spiritual and provides the golden keys to resolving
the critical problems the world faces. In a world where
existing strategies for peace have failed and peo-
ple are desperately looking for a new direction, His
Holiness presents fresh and practical solutions, giving
hope that we can still prevent a global catastrophe.
(continued on back flap)
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
WorldWar are stark. Events appear to be moving us rapidly towards a
ThirdWorldWar.The consequences of a nuclear war are beyond
our imagination.
Read online at: www.alislam.org
Purchase the book here:
http://store.alislam.org/
CHIEF EDITOR & MANAGER
Syed Amer Safir
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Nakasha Ahmad
ASSISTANT MANAGER
Tazeen Ahmad
NORTH & SOUTH AMERICAN COORDINATOR
Tariq Haroon Malik
ISLAM & CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
Editor: Shahzad Ahmed
Deputy: Zafir Malik
RELIGION & SCIENCE
Editor: Dr. Syed Muhammad Tahir Nasser
Deputy: Dr.Tauseef Khan
LAW & HUMAN RIGHTS
Editor: Ayesha Mahmood Malik
ANCIENT RELIGIONS & ARCHAEOLOGY
Editor: Fazal Ahmad
Deputy: Rizwan Safir
CHRISTIANITY
Editor: Navida Sayed
Deputy: Arif Khan
WOMEN’S SECTION
Editor: Aliya Latif
Deputy: Meliha Hayat
RACE & EQUALITY
Editor: Hassan Wahab
BOOK REVIEWS
Editor: Dr. Sarah Waseem
WEB TEAM
Mubashra Ahmad, Hibba Turrauf
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Head: Razwan Baig
EDITORIAL BOARD
Sayed Mubashir Ahmad Ayaz, Mansoor Saqi, Bockarie
Tommy Kallon, Professor Amtul Razzaq Carmichael, Mansoor
Zia, Jonathan Butterworth,Tamim Abodaqa, Murtaza
Ahmad, Qudsi Rasheed, Fiona O’Keeffe, Waqar Ahmedi
ART & DESIGN
Art Editor: Ahsan Khan
Deputy Art Editor & YouTube Coordinator: Zubair Hayat
Design & YouTube Assistants: Musawer Din, Usman Shahzad Butt
INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION & DISTRIBUTION
Muhammad Hanif
ACCOUNTS & MARKETING
Musa Sattar
SUB-EDITORS
Munawara Ghauri (Head), Maryam Malik, Nusrat Haq,
PROOFREADERS
Farhana Dar (Head), Hina Ahmedi, Amina Abbasi, Aisha Patel Mzien
HOUSE STYLE GUIDE
Maleeha Ahmad (Head), Sadia Shah
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Mariam Rahman, Mahida Javed, Munazza Khan
SOCIAL MEDIA
Mala Khan (Head), Hajra Ahmad (Deputy), Mishall Rehman (Deputy),
Nudrat Ahmad, Shumaila Ahmad, Saniya Ahmad, Adeeba Tahir
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
LEGAL ADVISOR
Khalil Yousuf

The
Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
( g u i d e d o n e )
founder of
P
rayer,in essence,means a relationship of mutual attraction
between a righteous person and his Lord. This means
that God’s grace first draws a person towards Himself,
and then,through the magnetism of the person’s sincerity,God
draws closer to him. In the state of prayer this relationship
reaches a point where it manifests wonderful qualities. When
a man in grave difficulty falls down in prayer with perfect cer-
tainty, perfect hope, perfect fidelity, and perfect resolve; and
when he becomes perfectly alert and advances far into the field
of self-annihilation, tearing aside all veils of heedlessness, lo
and behold, he finds before him the Divine threshold, and he
perceives that God has no associate. His soul then prostrates
itself at the Divine threshold and the power of attraction that is
invested in him draws the bounties of God Almighty towards
him.It is then that the Glorious God attends to the fulfilment
of the desired objective,and casts the effect of the prayer on all
the preliminary means,which,in turn,produce the means that
are essential for the achievement of the objective.For example,
if the prayer is for rain and it is accepted,all the natural means
which are necessary for causing rain are created as a result of
the prayer. If the prayer is for famine, the All-Powerful One
creates the opposite means.And this is why the eminent recipi-
ents of revelation and men of perfection have proven with their
The Reality of Prayer

extraordinary experiences that the prayers of a perfect one are
endowed with a power of creation.That is to say,under Divine
command,prayer influences the lower and higher strata of the
world and sways the elements, heavenly bodies, and hearts of
men towards the desired objective.There is no shortage of such
examples in Divine scriptures.1
endnotes
1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, Blessings of Prayer (Tilford, Surrey:
Islam International Publications, 2007), 15-16.
In recent times vested interests have
launched a ‘crusade’ against Islam.
Islam is labelled as a religion of terror,
backwardness and suppression.
Based on Quranic teachings, the author of
this book goes about disproving these notions
and professes that Islam provides practical
solutions to current issues; and argues that:
(1) Swords can win territories but not hearts,
forces can bend heads but not minds; (2) The role
of women is not of concubines in harems nor a
society imprisoned in the four wall of their houses;
(3) Richer nations provide aid with strings attached
and yet the flow of wealth continues to be in the
direction of the rich while the poorer sink deeper
in the red; (4) Religion does not need to be the
predominant legislative authority in the political
affairs of the state; (5) Irrespective of the thawing
of the cold war, the issue of war and peace does not
only hang by the thread of superpower relationship.
(6) Without God there can be no peace.
It also contains comprehensive discussion
on interest; financial aid; international
relations; and the role of Israel, America and
the United Kingdom in a new world order.
The message of this book is timeless and chalks
a blue print for the future prospects for peace.
Read online: http://www.alislam.org/books/
Purchase print copy: http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html

tragedy; however,it was also a great bless-
ing because it actually took me off a very
destructive path that I was travelling on.
I found Ahmadiyyat, Alhamdulillah [all
praise belongs to God]. A brother, the
late Bilal Abdus Salam, was managing
a very successful Islamic program at the
prison,Graterford State Institution.And
when I began attending the classes I was
very deeply impressed with the brothers.
I felt they had a connection with God.
It impressed me so much I converted to
Ahmadiyyat through Islam.This spiritual
joy and peace and harmony and respect
was something I thought could never
happen in a place like lockup, in jail. I
felt an intense need to take control of
my life and decided if I was going to be
a Muslim and truly change my life, the
time was now.
When I returned home from prison I was
a changed man, a Muslim, an Ahmadi
Muslim. I presented this message to
my fiancé who I had asked to marry at
a very early age. Her name is Sha’irah
Muhaimin. She said to me, ‘If we are to
be husband and wife I am willing to study
Islam and see for myself what it is all
about.’We got married in 1974 and after
studying for one year she accepted Islam
and Ahmadiyyat and signed the Bai’at
[Initation Ceremony], Alhamdulillah.
In 1978 we moved from Philadelphia
to York, Pennsylvania, and enrolled our
children in an Ahmadi school.The name
of the school was the Nooruddin Mosque
From Prison to Prayer
My name is Saleem Abdul Muhaimin.
I was born October 5th
1953 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Before
accepting Islam in 1973 my name was
Howard Lewis Alexander. My family
lived in the West Philadelphia area,4016
Fairmount housing project.There I lived
and grew up for 12 years.
At the age of 16 years old, my brother
who was 18 years old at that time was
home on leave from the military, the
army. A rival gang entered our area
outside of our housing project and my
brother was stabbed to death.This was a
major turning point in my life. I began
to lose interest in just about everything.I
felt that if there was a God,He had truly
let me down, allowing my brother to be
killed, an innocent soul who entered the
military armed forces to better himself
and keep away from all the negative street
violence that was going on in our area at
that time.
At this stage of my life I continued to get
influenced by bad company. My friends
were people who were indulged in heavy
drinking and drugs and alcohol and gang
violence.Alcohol and drugs had become
an addiction with me.I always kept a job
and was quite capable of taking care of
myself financially.However I wasted a lot
of time and money on alcohol and drugs
and doing negative things to attempt to
drown out the pain of losing my only
brother.
In 1973, at the age of 19, another shift
of events happened. I got involved in a
robbery with some of my friends and was
sent to prison. This was to me a great
and more entrenched in his mind and
heart.Then,shortly before coming to our
mosque in the historic district of Mérida,
he came across us (the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community) on the internet and
decided to come and attend the meeting.
He told me that he had been reading our
material. He showed immense interest
in the concept of God we presented and
the universal message of Islam,especially
our belief that God Who provides light,
heat and so many more physical resources
for all of mankind, could not have left
the rest of humanity without spiritual
guidance. He could not have chosen a
single people to be the beneficiaries of
His revelation and guidance. Because of
this gentleman’s detailed and profound
interest and because he was so desirous
to have a copy of the Holy Qur’an, we
gave him one as well as a copy of The
Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam in
Spanish. He first came to one of our
meetings on 27th
November 2014, and
thereafter became a regular participant
in many of our activities.After many in-
depth discussions,this man,now a friend,
signed the Bai’at (Oath of Allegiance) on
the 24th
of December. Since that day, he
has been both a devoted and inspiring
member of the Ahmadiyya Community.
Alhamdolillah (All praise belongs to
Allah).
Waseem A. Sayed, Ph
Representative and Spok
the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Mérida, Mexico. Head o
USA
Imam Noman Rana and
Sayed have been statione
the message of Islam, Ah
A Literal Shower of D
A faith-inspiring story,
ciously answers the hum
of His servants,comes f
California.
I used to be an Atheist
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever
Merciful
This is a brief account of how the world
was completely transformed for a friend
of mine here in Mérida, Mexico, when
he embraced the message of Islam-
Ahmadiyyat. From November 2014, at
the outset of our Community activities
in Mérida,we have focussed almost eve-
rything on our ‘Coffee, Cake and Islam’
classes. This was a weekly class where
Imam Rana and I invited people to
attend as well as share coffee and cake
while having the opportunity to ask any
questions regarding Islam. One gentle-
man simply walked into one of our early
classes and,after listening to a presenta-
tion,began talking about his experiences
in depth. He began telling me that he
had never really believed in God and
would often get involved in arguments
with his teachers and others on the topic.
He explained that as he began to argue
his case and reflect on it,slowly but surely,
something strange started to happen.
He became convinced of the existence
of God. At first this was a gradual pro-
cess, but the conviction became more
[UNTOLD]
STORIES
He showed immen
in the concept of G
presented and the
message of Islam,
our belief that Go
provides light, hea
many more physic
for all of mankind
have left the rest o
without spiritual
The note on the photo says the first Jalsa
Salana attended by Saleem Muhaimin, the
first Jalsa Salana USA was much earlier.
(From left to right, the late Abdul Raqheb
from Philadelphia, the late Zakariyya Hussain
from Philadelphia, a friend of Zakariyya
from Denmark, Saleem Muhaimin).
12 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | FEBRUARY 2018 FEBRUARY 2018 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 13

of Philadelphia, the late Bilal Abdus
Salam of Philadelphia,Munir Hamid of
Philadelphia, the late Zakaria Hussain
of Philadelphia and Mujeeb Chaudhary,
also of Philadelphia who is currently the
Sadr [President] of Philadelphia at this
time and also the late Sahil Abdul Azeez
of Willingboro [New Jersey].
I felt very privileged to become a Muslim
and Ahmadi and in 2016,Alhamdulillah,
I was sent a letter from Tabshir [Foreign
Missions Office of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community] that I was selected
to represent my country [USA] in the
international Bai'at [Initation Ceremony]
and I felt so unworthy of this yet I was
chosen. The International Bai'at is an
initiation of faith, like a rededication of
yourself internationally. As you see on
MTA [Muslim Television Ahmadiyya,
the official television channel of the
Ahmadiyya Community] where every-
one has his hand on the shoulder of the
next person so that energy and vibration
of faith can generate itself throughout
the convention, throughout that time
and throughout the world.That was a
special time because the International
Bai'at on MTA is so overwhelming and
I was right there; so torn up with tears
hoping I can hold myself together.After
this was done and I had my mulaqaat
[audience] with His Holiness [Head of
the Ahmadiyya Community],I came into
the office and His Holiness greeted me
so warmly; he grabs you and just holds
you. I mentioned to His Holiness that
I was at the International Bai'at and he
said I know and I said I felt so unworthy
of being there as I had my struggles and
challenges. His Holiness replied that if
you were not worthy God would not put
you there.That was very special to me and
it fortified my faith.
This was something I thought would
never ever happen in my life, something
that I never even thought could possi-
bly happen. A person coming from such
a violent background, of addiction and
drug violence to actually be sitting next
to and taking the oath of faith and dedi-
cation to Allah and developing such a
deep love for our beloved Imam [Head
of the Ahmadiyya Community], sitting
at his desk and representing the entire
United States,giving allegiance to Allah
and our beloved Imam.
School of York. This school was later
visited by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh
prior to him being elected as Khalifah
[Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community] and Alhamdulillah
I had the opportunity of meeting with
him and walking the landscape of the
Nooruddin School, discussing tabligh
[preaching and propagation]. This was
one of the best experiences I have had
as an Ahmadi Muslim.
Since that time I have served the
Ahmadiyya Jamaat in a number of
ways – as Naib Sadr [Vice President]
of Khuddamul Ahmadiyya [Ahmadi
Muslim Youth Association] for
about two years in the early 80’s, York
Harrisburg [chapter] president for a
number of years in the early 90’s and
also Tabligh secretary, and Nazim Ansar
[head of the local chapter of the men’s
auxiliary organisation] of the headquar-
ters region. Some of my early mentors
who have played a significant role in my
life are brother Hussain Abdul Azeez
Saleem Muhaimin, (top left wearing a white
cap and glasses) had the unique opportunity
to represent USA at the International
Ba'iat Ceremony in 2016 touching the
blessed hands of His Holinessaba
.
untold stories

TheHONOURofPROPHETS
another. The
s of religion.
hless, yet the
alvation. So
e Promised
ure is weak,
o, owing to
or humanity,
ra, God has
ts, but none
of Islam in
present age,
ercessor that
ree mankind
hilosophy of
ilty and his
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD
The Promised Messiah and Mahdi
Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
HAZRATMIRZAGHULAMAHMAD
The
HONOUR
of
PROPHETS
E
very human being seeks salvation in some form or another. The
concept of salvation holds pivotal importance in matters of religion.
A faith unable to deliver its followers from sin is worthless, yet the
progress and benefit of society depends on this very salvation. So where
should one turn to attain it?
In this work, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah
and Mahdi, explains that since human nature is weak, salvation can only be
attained through a mediator who, owing to their perfect relationship with
God and deep sympathy for humanity, can serve as a link between God and
man. In every era, God has conferred salvation upon humanity through His
prophets, but none can match the unparalleled status held by the Prophet
of Islam in this respect, who was the paragon of perfection. In the present
age, it is this pure and blessed prophet who is the only intercessor that can
grant humanity a living relationship with God and free mankind from the
shackles of sin.
The author presents an exquisite exposition on the philosophy of divine
intercession, sinlessness, forgiveness, human frailty and his advent as the
Promised Messiah.
NEW
BOOK
The
HONOUR
of
PROPHETS

SOUND
BITES
February 6th
International
Day of Zero
Tolerance
for Female
Genital
Mutilation
Lindsay McLean | Shutterstock
By Ayesha Mahmood Malik
LLM (Harvard)

sound bites: international day of
zero tolerance for genital mutilation
The sixth of February each year is celebrated
as the International Day of Zero Tolerance
for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as part
of the United Nations campaign to end geni-
tal mutilation of women and girls.According
to the World Health Organisation, FGM
comprises procedures, ‘that involve partial
or total removal of the external female geni-
talia, or other injury to the female genital
organs for non-medical reasons.’There are no
known health benefits of the practice, only
harm,including,amongst other things,severe
bleeding, infections, problems urinating and
increased risk of newborn deaths.
Notwithstanding these ill effects,proponents
of FGM have long argued how the practice
is essential in order to ensure a woman’s vir-
ginity before marriage and is symbolic of
a woman’s virtue and dignity. Interestingly,
while the origins of FGM are not very well
known, it is thought that the practice is
more than 2000 years old—dating back to
the ancient Egyptians where it was practiced
as a sign of distinction amongst the aristoc-
racy.With such prehistoric roots,the practice
can hardly be conceived of as being intro-
duced by Islam,as is often alleged.In fact,the
Holy Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammadsa
make no mention of FGM. Moreover, it is
hard to imagine that the Prophetsa
, who laid
down detailed information regarding all
aspects of a Muslim’s life, including internal
female processes such as menstruation,would
overlook female circumcision if Islam had
ordained it.No mention of female circumci-
sion is found amongst the Prophet’ssa
wives
either.
FGM has existed as cultural practice most
commonly occurring in African countries.
Some like Somalia have a startlingly high
prevalence rate where 98% of females are cir-
cumcised and Guinea,where 96% of women
undergo circumcision.Protagonists of FGM
often cite cultural relativism as an argument
supporting their defence of the practice,
arguing for it to be a protected right, like
any other basic human right. However, such
arguments are unpopular within the rights
discourse on this subject and it is maintained
that practices that are entirely incompatible
with any plausible notion of human rights
cannot merit protection under the same.
There are certain behaviours that breach the
very essence of being human and are a trav-
esty of human dignity.These include heinous
crimes such as genocide and torture and form
part of a special category referred to as ‘per-
emptory’norms—from which no exception is
ever allowed.There have been calls for FGM
to be recognised as a peremptory norm with
no exceptions being granted on the basis of
culture or any other ground.
Although it is not known exactly when FGM
began, it was a custom very prevalent in
ancient Egypt, where it was practiced as a
sign of distinction amongst the aristocracy.
Jonas Andreae | Shutterstock
20 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | FEBRUARY 2018

Sergey Nivens | Shutterstock
IN A TIME WHERE DATA AND EVIDENCE MAKE
THE WORLD GO ROUND, HOW CAN WE SHOW
EVIDENCE FOR GOD'S EXISTENCE?
BEYOND
THE
WORLD
GOD IN THE AGE OF SCIENCE

the key to humanity’s salvation. Their
position perhaps has some justification.
The tremendous material progress that
the scientific revolution has brought
in recent centuries is plain for all to
see. Our developments in medicine
and technology are the result of this
scientific inquiry, where we collect
empirical data and test our hypotheses
with experimentation. Its fruits have
radically changed the way we live. But
today science is being used not just as a
tool to improve our quality of life, but
as a weapon aimed directly at the heart
of religion. The leading atheists of our
time, such as Richard Dawkins and Sam
Harris, tend to be established scientists.
They and their legion of devotees believe
that mankind must yield to the power of
modern science to liberate us from the
shackles of ancient superstitions.Indeed,
their missionary zeal has been noted to
parallel religious fervour,with Science as
their new god. As the prescient philoso-
pher and mathematician David Berlinski
has commented:
‘If nothing else, the attack on traditional
religious thought marks the consolidation
in our time of science as the single sys-
tem of belief in which rational men and
'Eyes cannot reach Him, but
He reaches the eyes.
And He is the Most
Subtle, the All-Aware.’
Aphelleon | Shutterstock
Beyond the World:
God in the Age of
Science
UMAR NASSER, WEST MIDLANDS, UK
Do you know what the most beautiful
conversation in human history was? It
was between the Prophet Muhammadsa
and the man who would later become
the first caliph of the Muslims: Abu Bakr
the Truthfulra
. He was a wealthy and
respected merchant who had been trav-
elling outside his hometown of Makkah,
deep in the Arabian desert.
On his return,the chiefs of his city came
to him laughing. They said his friend,
Muhammadsa
, had claimed to have
received messages from God brought by
angels. Abu Bakrra
left the Arab chief-
tains. He rushed to the Prophetsa
and
asked him, ‘Have you made this claim?’
The Prophetsa
would not give him a direct
answer. He wanted to explain his claim
and the circumstances surrounding it.But
Abu Bakrra
would have none of it: ‘Have
you made this claim?’Again the Prophetsa
would not give him a straight answer.
Once more Abu Bakrra
asked,‘Have you
made this claim?’ Finally the Prophetsa
relented,and said ‘Yes,I have made such a
claim’.At this Abu Bakrra
declared, ‘I bear
witness that you are a messenger of God’.
He said that had he heard any argument,
it would have detracted from the quality
of his faith.
Scientism
Faith. Today it is a dirty word. Its true
meaning has become obscure, its conno-
tations ridiculed by an intellectual elite
that believes that the scientific method is

evidence—direct physical proof of God’s
existence—then in their blind zeal to
uphold the name of science, they have
forgotten its essence: that the method
of investigation must suit the object in
question.If we use the wrong method of
investigation we will inevitably get the
wrong kind of evidence, and our efforts
will be in vain. To observe the inner
workings of cells,a telescope won’t do.To
assess earthquake activity,a Geiger coun-
ter will fall short. Our approach must be
tailored to the object in question.
God is no thing. He is not a physi-
cal object, nor is he a compendium of
physical things. Rather, he is taken to be
the Creator and Sustainer of all physi-
cal things. It is obvious that the Creator
of the universe cannot physically be the
universe, for the transcendent cannot be
held within the immanent—that which is
by its nature beyond matter,energy,space
and time cannot be confined within them.
For such a being, searching for physical,
empirical evidence is entirely inappro-
priate, and bound to lead to frustration
and despair.
The Limits of Empirical Evidence
In this respect, God is not alone.
Mainstream scientific consensus itself
unwittingly confirms that a lack of direct
empirical evidence for something does
not invalidate its existence. For instance,
physicists now believe that about 95%
of the universe is completely hidden to
us. It cannot be physically detected by
any of our most sensitive instruments.
Everything that we can see, feel and
women might place their faith,and if not
their faith,then certainly their devotion…
And like any militant church, this one
places a familiar demand before all others:
Thou shalt have no other gods before
me.’1
The followers of this philosophy, often
known as ‘New Atheists,’ believe that it
is fundamentally irrational to believe in
a God whose existence is not proved by
empirical evidence. They place the sci-
entific method as the premier means by
which we should discover the secrets of
reality. For them, any truth not ratified
by scientific consensus is no truth at all.
Rather it is wishful thinking at best, and
rank ignorance at worst.
The most common argument of the fol-
lowers of this worldview, often dubbed
‘scientism,’ is that there is simply no evi-
dence for God.By evidence,its proponents
mean empirical evidence—data that
acts as an objective representation of the
physical reality around us.The existence
of God is treated like any other hypoth-
esis, and thus an equivalent standard of
evidence is required of it. After all, New
Atheists argue, if we are to spend our
lives worshipping, loving, and fearing
some being, His actual existence should
be at least as well-established as our sci-
entific theories of physics and chemistry.
Subjective personal experiences will not
do. What is needed is hard proof.
The Folly of New Atheism
At this, the modern theist is typically
left on the back foot.No theist can point
somewhere and declare ‘Look, there’s
God,’ nor can they write an algebraic
equation that solves for ‘God.’ However,
while the request for evidence is well-
founded, the demand for the type of
evidence they want is completely unrea-
sonable. If New Atheists want empirical
God is not a physical entity, nor can He be
limited by time, space or matter. Therefore,
the scientific method is an inadequate tool to
prove the existence or nonexistence of God.
Triff | Shutterstock
God is no thing. He is
not a physical object, nor
is He a compendium
of physical things.
beyond the world: god in the age of
science
The Holy Qur’an clearly states that
God is the light of the heavens and the
earth, and also that God is closer to
man than his jugular vein, which implies
that He is not a physical entity.
Myvisuals | Shutterstock

detect is just 5% of the universe. The
rest is dark matter and dark energy. Its
existence has only been deduced from its
effect on what we can see and feel.
The data gathered from the stars is one
thing, but the insight gathered from
introspection is another. We are con-
scious beings—consciousness is the
essence of our identities.And yet,has any
scientist ever isolated a thought, a feel-
ing or a memory? The barest reflection
will reveal that our conscious experience
is of an altogether different nature to the
electricity charted by brain scans,one not
yet understood by the crude instruments
of modern science.
Thus, be it dark matter and dark
energy out there, or conscious reality in
here, scientific thought accepts a whole
host of significant things for which there
is not a shred of direct empirical evidence.
It seems that the more subtle something
is,the more refined its substance,the less
we can rely on our physical senses and
empirical evidence to directly access it,
and the more we must rely on measuring
its effects.This furnishes us with valuable
guidance in our search for God. God, if
He exists, must be the most subtle of all
things. He is the underlying reality of
everything else, the rarefied essence of
existence.If our best science cannot even
detect 95% of the physical universe, does
anyone really expect us to detect God?
The Holy Qur’an beautifully sums this
up in one simple statement:
‘Eyes cannot reach Him, but He reaches
the eyes.And He is the Most Subtle,the
All-Aware.’2
Our physical senses cannot reach Him
because He is the Most Subtle.However,
unlike physical rarities like dark matter
or dark energy,God is not dependent on
our efforts to discover Him.We need not
rely on merely speculative and inferen-
tial evidence to determine His existence.
Rather, the Qur’an declares that God is
well-aware of our need to know Him
directly.Thus, ‘He reaches the eyes,’ that
is, he reveals Himself through His own
initiative,in the most appropriate way for
mankind.
Thunderbolt, Now
What is the appropriate way? Even
if New Atheists concede that God’s
nature is such that His ‘essence’ should
be beyond physical empirical verification,
they could argue that God can still mani-
fest himself much more obviously in the
universe, i.e., by manipulating physical
means.If He really is All-Powerful,then
why doesn’t He reach us in such a way
that would make it blindingly obvious He
exists? For instance,every time an atheist
affirms his disbelief,God could cause the
heavens to reverberate with, ‘Dost Thou
Doubt?!’ Whenever an atheist mockingly
asked for a thunderbolt to strike him
down dead,God could duly acquiesce.If
God can do it, atheists ask, then what’s
stopping Him?
To answer this, atheists must contem-
plate the rationale behind the system of
God that religion presents.For while it is
true that religion teaches that God is All-
Powerful, it also states He is All-Wise.
He would only choose that method of
delivery for His message which would
suit His purpose in creation.
Were God to reveal Himself in the man-
ner which atheists demand, it would be
contrary to His purpose. His purpose in
creating us is not simply that we know
He exists, but that we choose to know
Him and thereby become deserving of
a relationship. Were God’s existence as
manifestly obvious as that of the sun
or the moon, there would be no merit
whatsoever in believing. Belief would
become necessary for everyone, and we
would have no chance to demonstrate
our good trust in others, insight, and
perseverance.The demonstration of these
qualities earns God’s reward,and are only
possible if the seeker of truth must work
through a veil to reach the True Beloved.
‘Are they waiting for anything but that
Allah should come to them in the
Atheists such as Richard Dawkins insist that
the concept of an All-Powerful Creator is
absurd and when being asked what would
persuade him to believe in God he replied:
‘Well, I’m starting to think nothing would.’
Albert H. Teich | Shutterstock
We need not rely on
merely speculative and
inferential evidence to
determine His Existence.
science

coverings of the clouds with angels, and
the matter be decided? And to Allah do
all things return.’3

Any Hypothesis But God
Unfortunately, pointing out the wisdom
of God is something that many athe-
ists will close their ears to. The reality
is that too many have set their heart on
not believing, and would brush away
any further evidence for God as easily
as they have brushed away the current
evidence.Take the example given above:
God announcing His existence through
a voice reverberating around the heavens.
One would imagine that atheists would
surely not be able to doubt that? Sadly,
they would.The following is from leading
atheist Richard Dawkins:
‘Interviewer: What would it take for
you to believe in God?
Dawkins: I used to say it would be
very simple. It would be the Second
Coming of Jesus or a great, big, deep,
booming, bass voice saying “I am
God.”But I was persuaded…that even
if there was this booming voice in the
Second Coming with clouds of glory,
the probable explanation is that it is
a hallucination or a conjuring trick by
David Copperfield…
Interviewer: So what would persuade
you?
Dawkins: Well, I’m starting to think
nothing would, which, in a way, goes
against the grain, because I’ve always
paid lip service to the view that a sci-
entist should change his mind when
evidence is forthcoming.’4
Dawkins, in this stunning moment of
intellectual shamelessness, has typi-
fied the New Atheist mindset—they
will not believe in God, because to
them God cannot exist. Their emotional
rejection of God blinds them to any con-
sideration of the evidence. We see this
already with the absurd denials of evident
divine design in the fine-tuning of the
universe, and the origin of life.The athe-
ist scientific establishment have run away
from the idea of conscious design towards
absurd and unfalsifiable multiverse theo-
ries because,in the words of Mirza Tahir
Ahmadrh
, they are ‘atheists first, and sci-
entists after.’5
They have an undying faith
in ungrounded materialistic explanations
while ignoring the obvious interpretation
of the facts in front of them.The Qur’an
refers to this mindset when it says:
‘And even if We opened to them a door
from heaven, and they began ascend-
ing through it, They would surely say,
“Only our eyes are dazed; rather we are a
bewitched people.”’6
The Essence of the Scientific Method
Thus far we have explored how the nature
of God precludes the existence of physi-
cal evidence for Him.We have also seen
that it would be contrary to God’s pur-
pose and wisdom to expect crude material
manifestations of Him. This leaves us
with one question—what kind of evi-
dence should we look for?
One answer is to look for evidence of
divine design in the universe around
us. This has been the mainstay of the-
istic apologists in the modern age. They
ably point out that the findings of mod-
ern science necessitate the existence of
an immaterial, timeless and conscious
designer of the universe.These arguments
are valid,and compelling.And yet,relying
on such arguments alone falls short of the
desired effect. If God has created us,then
surely He has provided a better way to
be certain of His existence than through
intellectual arguments about the wonders
of nature? Is there nothing more convinc-
ing, nothing more personal? Inferences
from nature act only to make likely God’s
existence, but they do not deliver us to
Him. As Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
fre-
quently wrote, they establish that God
‘should exist’,but they do not give us full
Pondering creation, one can only draw
the conclusion that there should be
a creator, but only through revelation
can one know there is a creator.
Filip Fuxa | Shutterstock
The reality is that too
many have set their heart
on not believing, and would
brush away any further
evidence for God as easily
as they have brushed away
the current evidence.
science

certainty that God ‘does exist.’ They do
not give us the satisfaction of heart we
crave when it comes knowing God.
How can such certainty be attained? To
discover this,we must turn to those who
have claimed to have achieved it in the
past.This is,after all,in keeping with the
scientific method.In the world of science,
when we seek evidence for a particular
phenomenon, we seek the writings of
those who have witnessed such evidence
in the past, then replicate their methods
ourselves so as to verify their results.The
first step then must be to find the experts
we seek.
Meet the Experts
History records a certain class of man that
is exceptional in almost every way. They
claimed to have contact with the Divine
Spirit.They were renowned for their wis-
dom and sagacity by their societies.They
championed the cause of the poor and the
needy,and inspired the rich to shed their
wealth for their downtrodden brethren.
They taught worldly abstinence and moral
restraint,and yet they and their followers
became the architects and rejuvena-
tors of the world’s greatest civilisations.
Their names became sacrosanct among
their people, and be they Muhammadsa
in Arabia,Mosesas
and Jesusas
among the
Jewish people, Confuciusas
and his pre-
ceptors in China,Krishnaas
or Buddhaas
in
Indian spirituality,Socrates in the Greek
Western tradition, or countless others
around the world—peace be upon them
all—they remain the most celebrated
individuals in human history to this day.
The messages of these men are strikingly
similar in their earliest texts, though
sometimes diverging with interpreta-
tion and interpolation centuries later.
Even so, a core is invariably kept pre-
served—belief in a Universal Spirit with
whom man could have contact through
prayer,and whose love is irrigated by the
water of good deeds.As such,the concept
of God has been found with surprising
regularity in cultures and continents sep-
arated from each other in time,space and
language. Be it the Great Spirit among
the Native Americans, High God among
the Aboriginal Australians, Heaven in
Confucian philosophy, Yahweh or Allah in
Judaeo-Islamic theology, Is’ana in
Buddhism, or many other names too
numerous to recount,God is everywhere
in the history of human thought.
The Holy Qur’an declares that all these
spiritual sages were prophets, sent by
God to reform their own people. In
this sense, it is the most universal of all
major religions,unifying previously sepa-
rate streams into one mighty current of
history.
‘And we did raise among every people a
Messenger with the teaching, “Worship
God and Shun the Evil One.”’7
So what method is generally taught by
the world’s major religions with regards
to coming into contact with the Creator?
Is it to test God by petulantly demand-
ing thunderbolts? Is it to look for God’s
name spelt out among the stars? Is it to
wait for God to send down volumes of
contemporary scientific thought? No. It
is to pray with humility and perseverance,
and to do good unto others. Expecting
to develop cognisance of God without
undergoing these efforts is to betray
insincerity in the search for the Creator,
for it stands in opposition to those who
have trod this path before us.
From Faith to Certainty
The first step in this well-trodden path
is to have faith. Having faith does not
mean to have blind faith in illogical
teachings. After all, the same God Who
gave us our minds cannot have given
us religious teachings that these same
minds find repellent. Rather, faith in the
Islamic conception is to have trust in the
messengers and sages who claim divine
revelation from One God, on account of
their righteous character. It is no coin-
cidence that prophets were known as
paragons of virtue in their time,so much
so that their names have become bywords
Nearly all religious scriptures agree that
there exists a Creator who is All-Powerful
and that He has spoken to people by
sending special prophets and messengers.
noBorders - Brayden Howie | Shutterstock
After all, the same God
Who gave us our minds
cannot have given us
religious teachings
that these same minds
find repellent.
science

for honesty and integrity among their
people. According to Islam, God chose
these honest men to bear his message so
that discerning seekers of truth would
not discard their claims out of hand. As
The Holy Qur’an recounts the prophets
saying,
‘I have indeed lived among you a whole
lifetime before this. Will you not then
understand?’8
The strength of this argument was con-
firmed by Heraclius, the Roman Caesar
in the time of the Prophet Muhammadsa
.
The Prophetsa
had sent a letter to Heraclius
inviting him to the faith of Islam. To
find out more, Heraclius summoned an
Arab chieftain passing nearby.The chief-
tain was a staunch enemy of Islam, but
when asked directly if Muhammadsa
had
ever been known to tell a lie before this
claim,the chieftain affirmed that he had
not. When the conversation concluded,
Heraclius affirmed the likely truth of the
Prophet, insightfully remarking,
‘He who does not lie about men will not
lie about God.’9
The invitation to believe in a particular
spiritual path from one who is known
to be truthful and virtuous acts as a cru-
cible for the mettle of our character. To
believe in these prophets and trust in
their righteous character requires true
humility and open-mindedness.Nowhere
was this demonstrated better than by
Abu Bakrra
, who declared faith in the
Prophet Muhammadsa
without hear-
ing any argument. The reality was that
he did not require an argument because
he already had an argument—the truth-
fulness of this man whose integrity was
renowned among his people.He took this
as his cornerstone,and accepted with the
utmost humility that his limited knowl-
edge was not all-encompassing; that there
may well be something that currently lies
beyond the breadth of his own experi-
ence. From this foundation, Abu Bakrra
scaled the heights of spiritual certainty,
and became the most Godly of the early
followers of the Prophet Muhammadsa
.
His case clearly demonstrates how God
does not leave the sincere followers of a
prophet in the dark. Though God veils
Himself from the physical senses, He
reveals Himself to the spiritual senses of
believers. Whereas our physical senses
can be deceived by illusionists and char-
latans, our spiritual senses lie dormant
within us for our entire lives. When the
divine flame kindles the wick of our spir-
itual senses, there is no mistaking the
authenticity of the experiences they pro-
duce,for they are entirely novel.Spiritual
contact therefore is the appropriate and
wise way for God to contact us, rather
than through trivial physical phenomena
which can be passed off as tricks and illu-
sion.When,for instance,believers begin
to have true dreams, visions and revela-
tions, their unique character is such they
cannot be dismissed as the mere whispers
of a hopeful psyche. Then, their prayers
begin to be answered with such regularity
and strength that it becomes a depend-
able feature of their lives, far exceeding
the threshold of coincidence.
This process of spiritual nearness to God
is a gradual one, and evolves as our devo-
tion enhances. But by treading the path
of the prophets,each and every one of us
can progress from the initial foundation
of faith to the sure platform of certainty.
Indeed, such a certainty far exceeds the
certainty we have regarding our scientific
theories,for they bring us direct personal
experience of the object of our search.In
this sense,spiritual investigation not only
matches, but far exceeds scientific inves-
tigation in the calibre of evidence it can
provide. And unlike scientific investiga-
tion, its fruits give us lasting spiritual
contentment, both in this life, and the
next.
In the words of His Holiness Mirza
Ghulam Ahmadas
,the Promised Messiah
and founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community:
‘The Word of God directs us: Have
faith and you will be delivered. It does
not tell us: Demand philosophical rea-
sons and conclusive proofs in support
Having faith does not mean to follow
something blindly. In fact The Holy Qur'an
urges readers to ponder over the signs
of God visible throughout creation.
Khakimullin Aleksandr | Shutterstock
This process of spiritual
nearness to God is a
gradual one, and evolves
as our devotion enhances.
science

of the doctrines that the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) has presented to you, and do not
accept them until they are established
like mathematical formulae. It is obvi-
ous that if the teaching of a prophet is to
be accepted only after being tested by the
canons of current knowledge,that would
not be faith in the prophet; inasmuch as
every verity when it is established clearly,
becomes binding, whether it is set forth
by a prophet or by anyone else. Even if
expounded by a vicious person it has to
be accepted.That which we would accept
by putting our trust in a prophet, and by
affirming his righteousness, must be of a
nature which possesses a probability of
truth in the estimation of reason and yet
leaves room for a foolish person to incline
towards its rejection as false; so that by
taking the side of truth and affirming
the righteousness of a prophet we may
be rewarded for our well-thinking, pen-
etrating intelligence, respectfulness and
faith.This is the purport of the teaching
of the Holy Qur’an that we have set forth.
But thinkers and philosophers have never
followed this way and have always been
heedless of faith.They have always been
in search of the kind of knowledge which
is demonstrated to them as being imme-
diate, incontrovertible and certain.
It should be remembered that God
Almighty, by demanding faith in the
unseen, does not wish to deprive the
believers of certainty of understanding
the Divine. Indeed, faith is a ladder for
arriving at this certainty of understand-
ing, without which it is in vain to seek
true understanding. Those who climb
this ladder surely experience for them-
selves the pure and undefiled spiritual
verities. When a sincere believer accepts
Divine commands and directions for
the only reason that God Almighty
has bestowed them upon him through
Although God Almighty is veiled from
physical sight, He never abandons His
followers so long as they search for Him.
In The Holy Qur’an God has stated: ‘And
when My servants ask thee about Me,
say: “I am near. I answer the prayer of
the supplicant when he prays to Me.”’
NASA images | Shutterstock
science
a righteous bearer, he becomes deserv-
ing of the bounty of understanding.That
is why God Almighty has established a
law for His servants that they should
first acknowledge Him by believing
in the unseen, so that all the problems
they face may be resolved through the
bounty of true understanding. But it is
a pity that a hasty one does not adopt
these ways. The Holy Qur’an contains
the promise of God Almighty that if a
person, who accepts the call of the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) on the basis of faith, seeks to
comprehend its reality and strives after
such comprehension, the reality will be
disclosed to him by means of visions and
revelations and his faith will be elevated
to the stage of the understanding.’10
..................................................................
AbouttheAuthor:Umar Nasser is a junior
doctor working in the West Midlands. He is
currently serving in the National Outreach
Department of the UK Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, coordinating in particular
efforts to respond to atheist criticisms of reli-
gion. He is co-founder of the website www.
RationalReligion.co.uk and its associated
YouTube channel, on which he co-hosts a
regular talk show discussing the existence
of God.
...................................................................
endnotes
1. David Berlinksi, The Devil’s Delusion
(2010).
2.The Holy Qur’an, 6:104.
3. The Holy Qur’an, 2:211.
4. “Richard Dawkins in conversation with
Peter Boghossian”, October 11, YouTube
video, 53:12, Posted Oct 2013, https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=qNcC866sm7s&fea-
ture=youtu.be&t=751.
5. Mirza Tahir Ahmadra
, Revelation, Ratio-
nality Knowledge and Truth (Surrey: Islam
International Publications, 1998).
9 .Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 1, Had-
ith 6.
, The
Essence of Islam, Vol. 2 (Tilford, Surrey:
Islam International Publications), 48-50.

The
Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
( g u i d e d o n e )
founder of
K
now well that God Almighty becomes one with those
who become His. God cannot be deceived by anyone.
It is utterly foolish and absurd for one to surmise that
they can fool God through pretence and deception. Such peo-
ple only deceive themselves.The allure and love of the world is
the root of all vice.Blinded by it,a person loses their humanity
and does not realise what they are doing and what they ought
to have done. When even a wise person cannot be deceived
by another, how can Allah Almighty fall prey to deception?
Indeed,it is the love of this world which lies at the root of such
evil deeds. In this vein, the cardinal sin, which in this age has
led the Muslims to their ruinous state and to which they are a
victim, is none other than this same love of the world.
Whether sleeping or awake, standing, sitting or walking, in
every state, people are gripped by this very worry and distress.
They have no concern or regard for the time when they shall be
lowered into their graves.If such people feared Allah Almighty
and possessed even little concern and grief for religion, they
could have benefitted immensely.1
endnotes
, The Advent of The Promised Messiah
(Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publications, 2016), 36-27.
The Root of All Vice
in This Era

Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra
,
Khalifatul Masih II, was the Second Worldwide Head
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and the son of
, the Promised Messiah
and Imam Mahdi. Elected to the spiritual station of
Khilafat in 1914 at the young age of 25, he shouldered
the responsibility of guarding this institution fearlessly
for almost 52 years.
A great orator, he delivered countless speeches the world
over on a vast array of topics. He was a true visionary
and epic administrator, establishing the administrative
structure of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, now
established in 210 countries. He was a revered scholar
with immense knowledge and wrote over 200 books,
including his grand exegesis of the Holy Qur’an titled
Tafseer-e-Kabir.This was Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din
Mahmud Ahmad’sra
personal account of why he believed
in Islam in response to a question posed to him by a
Bombay radio station.
From The Archives

to relate the grounds which, in addition
to my personal experience,have been the
cause of my believing in Islam.
First of all, I believe in Islam for the
reason that it does not compel me to
accept all those matters the sum total
of which is called religion merely on
authority, but furnishes convincing
arguments in support of its doctrines.
The existence of God and the nature
of His attributes, angels, prayer and its
effects, Divine decrees and their sphere,
worship and its need, Divine law and its
benefits, revelation and its importance,
resurrection and the life after death,
heaven and hell—with regard to every
one of these, Islam has given detailed
explanations and has established their
truth with strong arguments, to the
Bismillah-ir Rahman-ir Rahim (In
the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the
Merciful)
I have been asked to state why I believe
in Islam. When I put the question to
myself, the reply I received was, for
the same reason for which I believe in
anything else, that is to say, because it is
the truth. A more detailed reply would
be that in my view the central doctrine of
all religions is the existence of God and
man’s relationship with Him,so that the
religion that can succeed in establishing
a true relationship between God and man
must be true, and the truth of a faith is
surely a sufficient reason for believing in
it.
Islam claims that the Creator of this
universe is a living God and that He
reveals Himself to His creatures in this
age, in the same manner in which He
used to reveal Himself in the ages past.
This claim can be tested in two ways.God
may either manifest His signs directly for
a seeker after Him, or the seeker may
come to believe in God by studying
the life of a person to whom God has
revealed Himself. As by the Grace of
God,I happen to be one of those people
to whom God has on many occasions and
in a supernatural way revealed Himself,
I stand in need of no further reason for
believing in the truth of Islam,than that
I have experienced that truth in my own
person.
However, for the benefit of people who
have had no similar experience,I proceed
I happen to be one of those
people to whom God has
on many occasions and
in a supernatural way
revealed Himself, I stand
in need of no further
reason for believing in
the truth of Islam.
Islam claims that the Creator of this universe
is a living God and that He reveals Himself to
His creatures in this age, in the same manner
as He has revealed Himself in past eras.
zhennet | Shutterstock
HAZRAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMADRA
Why I Believe
in Islam

It does not by altogether crushing my
desires, reduce me to a stone; nor does
it, by leaving them uncontrolled and
unrestrained, reduce me to an animal,
but, like an expert irrigation engineer
who harnesses uncontrolled waters and
makes them run into irrigation channels,
thereby bringing prosperity to waste
areas, it converts my natural desires by
proper control and guidance, into high
moral qualities.
It does not say to me: God has given
you a loving heart but forbids you to
select a life companion, or that He has
endowed you with the sense of taste and
the capacity to appreciate good food,but
has forbidden you to eat such food. On
the contrary, it teaches me to love in a
pure and proper way that would ensure
through my progeny the perpetuation of
all my good resolves.It permits me to use
good food, but within proper limits, lest
I should eat my fill and my neighbour
should go hungry.By thus converting my
natural desires into high moral qualities,
it satisfies my humanity.
Fifthly, I believe in Islam for the reason
that it has dealt fairly and lovingly not
only with me, but also with the whole
world.It teaches me not to discharge my
duties only towards myself, but insists
upon my dealing fairly with every other
person and thing, and has furnished me
with proper guidance for this purpose.
For instance, it draws attention to
the rights of parents and the duties
which children owe to their parents.
It admonishes children to behave
obediently and tenderly toward their
parents, and has made the latter heirs to
that which the former may leave.On the
other hand, it enjoins love and affection
by the parents for their children and
imposes upon them the duty of bringing
up their children well, training them in
good qualities and looking after their
health. It has also made them heirs to
their parents.
Similarly,it enjoins the best relationship
between husband and wife, and requires
each to have due consideration for the
need and desires of the other, and that
they should behave affectionately towards
each other.This was put beautifully by the
Holy Founder of Islamsa
when he said:
‘A person who mistreats his wife during
the day and loves her at night, acts in
complete contradiction to the beauty of
human nature.’
He also said:
satisfaction of the human mind.
Islam therefore, furnishes me not only
with faith, but also with the certainty of
knowledge, which satisfies my intellect
and compels it to admit the need for
religion.
Secondly, I believe in Islam as it does
not base itself upon the experience of
people who have passed away,but invites
everybody to a personal experience of
that which it teaches and guarantees.
It claims that every truth can, in some
manner or the other,be put to the test in
this world,and it thus satisfies my reason.
Thirdly, I believe in Islam as it teaches
that there can be no conflict between
the word of God and the work of God,
and thus resolves the supposed conflict
between religion and science.It does not
ask me to ignore the laws of nature and
to believe in things which contradict
them. On the contrary, it exhorts me
to study the laws of nature and derive
benefit from them.It teaches me that,as
revelation comes from God and He also
is the Creator of the universe, there can
be no conflict between that which He
does and that which He says. It invites
me, therefore, in order to understand
His revelation, to study His work, and
in order to realise the significance of
His work, to study His word, and thus
satisfies my intellectual yearning.
Fourthly, I believe in Islam as it does
not seek to crush my natural desires, but
guides them along the right channels.
The supposed conflict between religion and
science is a false one, since science is the
work of God and religion is the word of God
and there can be no conflict between the two.
EtiAmmos | Shutterstock
why i believe in islam
Fifthly, I believe in Islam
for the reason that it has
dealt fairly and lovingly
not only with me, but also
with the whole world.

it, and after vesting this authority in
them, you should give them your fullest
cooperation and should not rebel against
them, for if you do so, you are merely
seeking to demolish that which your own
hands have built.
It has also regulated the rights and duties
of the employer and employed. It says
to the employer: You must render to
the workman his full due even before
his perspiration is dry on his body, and
should not look down upon those who
work for you, for they are your brothers
whose care has been entrusted to you by
God, and who are the true supporters
of your prosperity.You should,therefore,
not be so foolish as to seek to destroy
that which constitutes your own support
and the basis of your power. It says to
the workman: when you are engaged to
execute a piece of work for somebody,
you should discharge your obligation
honestly and with due care and diligence.
It says to those who have been endowed
with abundance of physical health and
strength, that they should not behave
oppressively towards the weak nor treat
contemptuously those who suffer from
some physical defect or blemish,for these
ought to excite one’s pity rather than
one’s contempt.
It says to the wealthy: You have been
charged with the duty of looking after
the poor and you must set aside one
fortieth of your substance every year
so that it may be employed in the relief
of poverty and distress, and for the
advancement of those who lack the
means of advancement. It teaches them
not to increase the disabilities of the poor
by lending money to them on interest,
but to help them with free gifts and free
loans, pointing out that wealth is not
given to a man that he may spend his
life in luxury and riotous living, but that
he should use it for the advancement
of the whole of humanity, and should
thus deserve the best reward here and
hereafter.
On the other hand, it also teaches the
poor not to look with envy and longing
upon that which has been given to
other people, as these feelings gradually
darken the mind and disable a person
from developing such good qualities as
he himself has been endowed with. It
therefore exhorts the poor to devote their
attention towards developing such talents
as God has bestowed upon them,so that
they should progress along beneficent
paths. It directs governments to afford
facilities for the poorer sections of the
‘The best of you are those who treat their
wives best.’
Again he said:
‘A woman is fragile, like glass, and men
should therefore treat a woman with
delicacy and tenderness, as they would
handle an article made of glass.’
Islam has laid special stress upon the
education and training of girls.The Holy
Prophetsa
has said:
‘A person who brings his daughter up
well and gives her good training and
education, thereby earns paradise.’
Islam has made daughters the heirs of
their parents along with sons.
Again, it has laid down fair rules for the
guidance of the rulers and the ruled. It
says to the rulers that the authority vested
in them is not their private property
but is a trust, and that they should
discharge the obligations of that trust
to the utmost, like upright and honest
people,and should carry on government
in consultation with the people. It says
to the ruled, the power to choose your
rulers has been bestowed upon you as a
gift from God and you should,therefore,
be careful to invest only such persons
with governing authority as fully deserve
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud
Ahmadra
, the Second Successor
to the Promised Messiahas
.
Makhzan-e-Tasaweer
Again, it has laid down fair
rules for the guidance of
the rulers and the ruled.

individuals.On the other hand,it teaches
that nations,states and individuals should
covenant with each other to restrain each
other from aggression, and to cooperate
with each other in advancing those that
are less advanced.
In short, I find that Islam provides
conditions of peace and comfort for
me, and for all those who may wish to
tread the path prescribed by it, whoever
they may be, whatever they may be,
and wherever they may be. In whatever
position I place myself, I find that Islam
is equally useful and beneficial for: me
and mine, for my neighbours, for people
whom I do not know and have not even
heard of,for men and for women,for the
aged and for the young,for the employer
and the employed, for the rich and for
the poor, for great nations and for small,
for internationalists and for nationalists,
and that it establishes a sure and certain
relationship between me and my Maker.
I believe in it, and indeed how could I
give it up and accept something else in
its place?
----------------------------------------
This article was translated from the Urdu and
originally published in the March 1940 edition of
The Review of Religions.
community for such advancement, and
not to permit all wealth and power to be
concentrated in a few hands.
It reminds those whose ancestors had
attained dignity and honour as the
result of noble efforts, that it is their
duty to maintain that dignity and that
honour with their own noble efforts,
and it warns them against looking down
upon others who have not been blessed
in the same way, as God has made all
mankind equal. It reminds them that
God, who has bestowed these honours
upon them, can bestow greater honours
upon others, and that if they misuse
the position to which they have been
called, and transgress against those who
have not been similarly endowed, they
will be laying the foundations of future
transgressions against themselves by
those who are now transgressed against.
They should, therefore, take no pride in
proclaiming their own greatness, but
should take pride in helping others to
become great, for true greatness belongs
only to him who tries to raise his fallen
brother to greatness.
Islam teaches that no nation should
transgress against another nation, nor
should one state transgress against
another, but that nations and states
should cooperate with each other for
the purpose of advancing the interests
of the whole of humanity. It forbids
some nations, states and individuals
to unite with each other in order to
conspire against other nations, states or
It forbids some nations,
states and individuals
to unite with each other
in order to conspire
against other nations,
states or individuals.
YOUR FEEDBACK IS
IMPORTANT TO US
Write to us with comments,
feedback and suggestions at
info@Reviewof Religions.org
Islam says to the wealthy: You have been
charged with the duty of looking after the
poor and you must set aside one-fortieth of
your substance every year so that it may be
employed in the relief of poverty and distress.
perfectlab | Shutterstock

A Glimpse into the Life of
the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
Attitudes towards His Wives
He was extremely kind and fair towards his
wives.If on occasion any one of them failed
to comport herself with due deference
towards him he merely smiled and passed
the matter over.He said to A’ishara
one day:
‘A’ishara
, whenever you are upset with me I
always get to know it.’ A’ishara
enquired:
‘How is that?’He said: ‘I have noticed that
when you are pleased with me and in the
course of conversation you have to refer
to God, you refer to Him as the Lord of
Muhammadsa
. But if you are not pleased
with me, you refer to Him as the Lord of
Ibrahimas
.’At this A’ishara
laughed and said
he was right (Bukhari, Kitabun Nikdh).
Khadijara
was his first wife and had made
great sacrifices in his cause. She was much
older than the Prophetsa.
After her death he married younger
women but never permitted the memory
of Khadijara
to become dim. Whenever
any of Khadija’sra
friends visited him he
would stand up to receive her (Muslim).
If he chanced to see any article that had
belonged to or had been connected with
Khadijara
, he was always overcome by
emotion.Among the prisoners taken by the
Muslims in the Battle of Badr was a son-in-
law of the Prophetsa
.He possessed nothing
which he could offer as ransom. His wife
Zainabra
(the Prophet'ssa
daughter) sent to
Madinah a necklace which had belonged
to her mother (Khadijara
) and offered it
as ransom for her husband. When the
Prophetsa
saw the necklace he recognized
it and was much affected. He said to his
Companions: ‘I have no authority to give
any direction in this matter,but I know that
this necklace is cherished by Zainabra
as a
last memento of her deceased mother and,
provided it commends itself to you,I would
suggest that she should not be deprived
of it and it may be returned to her.’They
intimated that nothing would give them
greater pleasure and readily adopted his
suggestion (Halbiyya, Vol. 2). He often
praised Khadijara
to his other wives and
stressed her virtues and the sacrifices that
she had made in the cause of Islam.On one
such occasion A’ishara
was piqued and said:
‘O Messenger of Allah, why go on talking
of the old lady? God has bestowed better,
younger and more attractive wives upon
you.’The Holy Prophetsa
was overcome by
emotion at hearing this and protested: ‘O
no, A’ishara
! You have no idea how good
Khadijara
was to me’(Bukhari).1
endnotes
1. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-din Mahmud
Ahmadra
, Life of Muḥammad (Tilford, Surrey,
U.K.: Islam International Publications Limited,
2013), 214-215. Mainlake | Shutterstock

arts,so when I left school,I wanted to be
an art therapist. But then I realised that
wasn’t a career for me. So then I went
back to my first love, which was physics
and so it was through doing an under-
graduate in physics that I realised space
science is what I wanted to do. And it
was sort of a gradual process of learning
about the stars, then learning about our
sun and then realising that in Britain we
had a space programme and that I can
get involved with that.
Q) Your main expertise is solar science
and the title of your first book is 15
Million Degrees. What is it about this
field that interests you in particular?
The sun I found absolutely fascinating,
perhaps for three different reasons.Firstly,
that is the only star that we can get up
close to and see lots of detail—see what’s
happening at the surface.Secondly,in the
atmosphere we can make detailed meas-
urements of its magnetic field and that
turns out to be a very important activity
of the sun, and so the physics of the sun.
There is another aspect,which is that the
sun is the most important object in the
universe.For us it’s a star and a source of
energy,sure,but more recently we found
out that ‘space weather’is also an impor-
tant aspect of the sun. On the earth we
are living inside the sun’s very extended
atmosphere and variations in the sun’s
atmosphere impact us here on the earth
and that’s what we call ‘space weather’.
And then the third thing is that the sun is
a very beautiful object and I think it sort
of satisfies the artist in me to be looking
at these beautiful images of the sun. So
it’s the aesthetics as well as the science.
We all see it every day, as it looms over-
head, shining down on us. But what do
we really know about the sun?
In 15 Million Degrees: A Journey to the
Centre of the Sun,Professor Lucie Green
takes us to the heart of Earth’s closest
star, delving deep into what we know
about the sun as well as how we came
to know it. Green, a solar physicist at
University College London’s Mullard
Space Science Laboratory,is well-placed
to explain this rich history to the public,
with regular appearances on the BBC’s
Stargazing Live with Brian Cox,the Today
programme, BBC Breakfast and Sky at
Night. She has worked with the world’s
major space agencies such as NASA and
the European Space Agency,particularly
on the Solar Orbiter mission, which is a
planned sun-observing satellite that will
perform close-up, high resolution stud-
ies of our sun and the inner heliosphere.
She won the Royal Society’s Kohn
Award for her work promoting public
engagement with science.She sits on the
Advisory Board for the Science Museum
and is Chief Stargazer at the Society for
Popular Astronomy.
The Review of Religions caught up with
Dr Green at New Scientist Live 2017 to
talk about her career, her interest in the
sun and her interest in public engage-
ment with science.
---------------------------------------
Q) How did you first get involved in
space science?
Space science to me was actually quite
accidental. I was first of all interested in
DISPATCHES FROM...
New Scientist Live 2017
MUSA SATTAR, LONDON, UK
INTERVIEW
Photo taken by The Review of Religions

member of the European Space Agency
and that’s the organisation that is devel-
oping the space weather monitor.
Q)Whatisyourmotivationforpromot-
ing science engagement consistently
throughout your career?
I think partly it is because it is really good
fun.I love to talk to people who also feel
enthusiastic about astrophysics so there’s
a personal and immediate reward from
just sharing this enthusiasm.Then there
is a bigger issue around ensuring that I,as
a publicly funded person,make available
to the public our findings,and encourage
the next generations to do this work,girls
in particular. I’m interested to show to
young women that women can be scien-
tists, engineers and mathematicians too.
Q) What have been the best moments
of your career?
Oh, some of the best moments of my
career? Well there are sort of two
camps—one is when you see something
in the data that you know nobody else
has seen,so you come into work one day
and you see the sun producing perhaps
an amazing eruption and you know that
nobody else has seen that dataset yet,and
the other thing that I really enjoyed is
doing operations on satellites. Because
my department builds instruments that
then get launched with ESA,NASA and
other space agencies like the Japanese
Space Agency, we have a duty and
responsibility to operate these telescopes.
So I have had a lot of fun working with
NASA and the Japanese Space Agency
doing satellite operations.
Q) Lastly, do you believe that religion
can play a role in finding information
about galaxies or the solar system?
So for me there are different approaches
to the world and how we investigate the
world around us.For me,my approach is
that I want the data. I want observation
and information that I can use to answer
questions. But I know that for many of
my colleagues the two aspects are very
important and that they sit together
and they do use religion for inspiration.
For my perspective though, I am totally
focussed on the observation and the sci-
entific data that I can get.
.......................................................................
About the Author: Musa Sattar has an MSc
in Pharmaceutical Analysis from Kingston
University and is also serving as Deputy Editor
of the Science & Religion section.
........................................................................
Q) I believe you are involved in the
future Solar Orbiter programme.Tell
usmoreaboutitandwhatotherprojects
you are involved in.
Solar Orbiter is the European mission
to go to the sun and is being built right
at this moment. There is a lot of British
involvement and in my department we
are involved with two of the instruments.
One is called the solar wind analyser,
which measures this extended atmos-
phere of the sun that sweeps out into
the solar system. Secondly, we are also
involved in an extreme ultraviolet (EUV)
imaging telescope that will take pictures
of the atmosphere of the sun. We will
launch it in early 2019 and get close to
the sun a few years later. So it’s really a
mission that allows us to study the sun up
close and personal to see what the atmos-
phere is like close in,how the atmosphere
is controlled, and how it changes over
time. But then other aspects of mis-
sions that I am interested in are related
to space weather and we are working at
the moment on a space weather mission.
So the analogy is that we have weather
satellites that allow us to forecast the
conditions of the weather on the earth
and the terrestrial atmosphere and what
we want is a space weather monitor
for Europe so that we can monitor the
sun’s atmospheric changes and forecast
space weather better. At the moment,
we are working with the European
space agency to develop the concept of
that space weather mission.We call it the
‘Lagrange mission’ in reference to spe-
cial points in the solar system where we
want to put this spacecraft. If success-
ful, depending upon continued funding
and if Europe pulls together to work on
it, then we should hopefully launch our
space weather monitor in the 2020s.
Q) Brexit is affecting lots of com-
panies on a different level, does it
have any impact on the Solar Orbiter
programme?
So for us Brexit is important but it doesn’t
affect our work with the European Space
Agency so we will still be a paid-up
Professor Lucie Green

Read online: https://www.alislam.org/library/books/Noahs-Ark-Kashti-Nuh.pdf
Purchase print copy: http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html
F
rom 1896 to 1914 the plague ravaged British India, and
more particularly, the province of Punjab. During these
perilous times, as towns and cities were devoured, the
British government undertook efforts to save the people from this
pandemic through inoculation. It was in this backdrop that Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian penned Noah’s Ark in 1902. In it the
author elaborates the essence of his teachings and states that those
who sincerely follow its tenets would be saved miraculously from
the onslaughts of this epidemic, even without inoculation. This
was a prophecy vouchsafed to him by God. History testifies to the
magnificent fulfilment of this prophecy.
The book Noah’s Ark shines as a beacon of hope not only for the
people of the past, but also now and shall continue to grant salvation
to the world in all ages. It is a book that stands as one of the most
influential works of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi,and continues
to transform lives even today.
NEW
BOOK
NOAH’S
ARK
AN INVITATION TO FAITH

Righteousness
Madrugada Verde | Shutterstock
EXTRACTS FROM
THE ESSENCE OF
ISLAMVOLUME II
A Citadel for Safeguarding
Against all Harm

Elements of Righteousness
There are many elements in righteous-
ness. It is righteousness to avoid pride
and self-esteem and to refrain from
unlawful acquisition and ill manners.
A person who displays courtesy and
good manners converts his enemies into
friends.
—Malfuzat, vol. I, p. 81
Blessed is the one who adopts righteous-
ness in a time of success and prosperity
and most unfortunate is one who does
not turn to righteousness after stumbling.
—Malfuzat, vol. I, p. 157
The spiritual beauty of man is to walk
along all the finer ways of righteousness.
They are the attractive features of spiritual
beauty. It is obvious that to be mindful
of the trusts of God Almighty, and to
fulfil all the covenants of faith, and to
employ all faculties and limbs,both overt,
like eyes and ears and hands and feet and
others like them,and those that are cov-
ert,like the mind and other faculties and
qualities, on their proper occasions and
to restrain them from coming into action
Righteousness
In the Holy Qur’an more emphasis
has been laid on virtue and righteous-
ness than on any other commandment.
The reason for this is that righteousness
bestows the strength to resist all vice
and urges progress towards all good.
Righteousness is in all circumstances a
charm that guarantees security and is a
citadel for safeguarding against all harm.
A righteous person can avoid many vain
and harmful contentions that often lead
other people to ruin. They sow the seed
of dissension among the people through
their hasty actions and suspicions and lay
themselves open to objection.
—Ayyam-us-Sulh, Ruhani Khaza’in,
vol. 14, p. 342
Righteousness is in all
circumstances a charm that
guarantees security and is
a citadel for safeguarding
against all harm.
Righteousness
The Promised Messiahas
wrote
over 80 books in Arabic, Urdu,
and Persian. Excerpts of his col-
lected works have been translated
into English and organised by topic.
The Review of Religions is pleased
to present these excerpts as part
of a monthly feature. Here, The
Promised Messiahas
elaborates on
the subject of righteousness.
Extracts from the Essence of Islam,
Vol.II, pp. 347-352.
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS
,
THE PROMISED MESSIAH & IMAM MAHDI
Righteousness protects us from harm in the
same way that a citadel or fortress does.
Madrugada Verde | Shutterstock

is accompanied by a light, as God the
Glorious, has said:
That is, O ye who believe, if you remain
steadfast in righteousness and hold fast
to it for the sake of Allah, with firmness
and perseverance,He will single you out
from among your detractors with marked
distinction. That is, you shall be blessed
with a light which will accompany you
wherever you go.That is to say, that that
light would illumine all their actions and
words and faculties and senses. Their
intellect would be illumined and there
would be light in all that they utter.There
would be light in their eyes and in their
ears and in their tongues and in their
speech and in all their movements. The
ways along which they walk would be
lit up. All their ways, the ways of their
faculties and their senses will be filled
with light, and they will walk altogether
in light.
—A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani
Khaza’in, vol. 5, pp. 177-178
RighteousnessisEssentialforHeavenly
Knowledge
There is a great distinction between
the acquisition of worldly knowledge
and knowledge of the Holy Qur’an.
Righteousness is not needed for the
study of grammar, physics, philosophy,
astronomy, medicine, etc. It is not nec-
essary that a student of these subjects
should observe salat [the five daily prayers
which are obligatory upon a Muslim]
and the fast and should be mindful of
Divine commandments and prohibi-
tions and should subordinate his every
action and word to Divine directions.
Indeed it often happens that the seek-
ers of such knowledge become atheistic
and are involved in every kind of vice.
Today the world presents a remarkable
spectacle. Though the people of Europe
and America acquire high proficiency in
worldly arts and sciences and daily make
new inventions,their moral and spiritual
condition is deplorable.We cannot even
mention some of the scenes that are wit-
nessed in the parks of London and the
hotels of Paris and are published in the
daily press.
On the other hand righteousness is an
essential condition for heavenly learn-
ing and for acquiring knowledge of the
on improper occasions,and to be warned
against the subtle attacks of vice and to
be mindful of the rights of one’s fellow
beings, is the way of perfecting one’s
spiritual beauty.God Almighty has in the
Holy Qur’an designated righteousness
as a raiment. Libas-ut-taqwa [the gar-
ment of righteousness] is an expression
of the Holy Qur’an.1
This is an indication
that spiritual beauty and spiritual orna-
ment are achieved through righteousness.
Righteousness means that one must be
mindful even of the smallest details of
the Divine trusts and covenants and also
of all the trusts and covenants of one’s
fellow beings,as far as it may be possible.
That is, one must try to fulfil, to the best
of one’s ability, all the requirements in
their minutest details.
—Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V,
Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 21, pp. 209-210
True righteousness and ignorance can-
not subsist together. True righteousness
The spiritual beauty of man is attained
and visible when he walks along the
finer paths of righteousness.
Tventin | Shutterstock
Though the people of
Europe and America acquire
high proficiency in worldly
arts and sciences and daily
make new inventions,
their moral and spiritual
condition is deplorable.
Arabic Verse 1


Arabic Verse 2

Arabic Verse 3

Arabic Verse 4

Arabic Verse 1


Arabic Verse 2

Arabic Verse 3

Arabic Verse 4

* * *

unless he possesses collectively all of
them. It is only these concerning whom
it is said:
What more would they need? God
Almighty becomes their guardian as it
is said:
In another Hadith it is stated that God
Almighty becomes their hands with
which they grasp,and becomes their eyes
with which they see, and becomes their
ears with which they hear and becomes
their feet with which they walk.
In another Hadith it is stated that God
has proclaimed that he who bears enmity
towards a friend of Mine should become
ready to contend with Me.
Still another Hadith declares that when
anyone attacks a friend of God, He
pounces upon him with the fierceness
with which a tigress pounces upon one
who seeks to deprive it of its young.
—Malfuzat, vol. IV, pp. 400-401
Endnotes
1. Al-A‘raf, 7:27 [Publisher]
mysteries of the Holy Qur’an. For this
purpose sincere repentance is needed.
For the door of Qur’anic knowledge is
not opened until a seeker of it carries the
burden of Divine commands with per-
fect humility and meekness and turns to
Him humbly,trembling before His glory
and His might.Without these he cannot
obtain from the Holy Qur’an the means
of fostering those qualities and faculties
which generate delight and comfort for
the soul.The Holy Qur’an is the Book of
God and its knowledge is in the hand of
God; thus righteousness is the ladder for
the acquisition of such knowledge.Then
how can it be possible that the faithless
wicked who are evil-minded and are held
prisoner by their earthly passions should
achieve such knowledge? A Muslim who
does not purify his soul is not bestowed
knowledge of the Holy Qur’an,however
high may be his proficiency in grammar
and literary subjects, and however much
he might enjoy the esteem of the worldly.
At this time the attention of the world
is centred upon worldly knowledge and
the light of Western learning continues
to astonish mankind with new inven-
tions and manufactures. Unfortunately,
the Muslims also have chosen to follow
the West for the purpose of fostering
their own welfare and they take pride in
copying Europe and America.That is the
attitude of the Muslims who follow the
new light.Those who are known as old-
fashioned Muslims and deem themselves
the guardians of the faith are caught in
the niceties of points of grammar and in
determining the correct manner of the
pronunciation of Dallin. They pay no
attention to the true meaning of the Holy
Qur’an, nor are they capable of doing so
as they do not address themselves to the
purification of their souls.
—Malfuzat, vol. I, pp. 425-427
Qualities of the Righteous
To become truly righteous it is neces-
sary that a person abandoning utterly
such outstanding vices as adultery, theft,
trespass, hypocrisy, self-esteem, scorn of
fellow beings,miserliness,should eschew
all low morals and should make progress
in high moral values. He should behave
towards his fellow beings with politeness,
courtesy and sympathy and should cul-
tivate true fidelity and sincerity towards
God Almighty. He should constantly
seek occasions of beneficent service. He
who combines all these qualities in him-
self is alone righteous.The possession of
any one of these qualities would not enti-
tle a person to be accounted righteous
True righteousness and ignorance
cannot coexist together. When a person
is truly righteous, all of their words and
actions are illuminated by a light.
Oranzy Photography | Shutterstock
the essence of islam
Arabic Verse 2

Arabic Verse 3

Arabic Verse 4

Arabic Verse 2

Arabic Verse 3

Arabic Verse 4


Mosques – Building
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VOL. 112 - ISSUE ONEJANUARY 2017 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
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or the name ‘Muhammad’, are used
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for ‘Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ meaning
‘peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him’. Likewise, the letters ‘as
’ or ‘(as)
’
after the name of all other prophets
is an abbreviation meaning ‘peace
be upon him’ derived from ‘Alaihis
salatu wassalam’ which are words
that a Muslim utters out of respect
whenever he or she comes across
that name. The abbreviation ‘ra
’ or ‘(ra)
’
stands for ‘Raziallahu Ta’ala anhu and
is used for Companions of a Prophet,
meaning Allah be pleased with him
or her (when followed by the relevant
Arabic pronoun). Finally, ‘rh
’ or ‘(rh)
’ for
Rahemahullahu Ta’ala means the Mercy
of Allah the Exalted be upon him.
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CALENDAR of
RELIGIOUS
EVENTS &
FESTIVALS
FEBRUARY 2018
Tuesday 13th
February
2018
Faith: Hinduism
Event: Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri—‘the great
night of Shiva’—is celebrated
by Hindus worldwide in
dedication to Shiva for having
saved them from destruction.
It is the only Hindu festival
to be celebrated at night
on the new moon of the
month of Maagha when
Hindus spend the night
fasting and singing hymns.
Wednesday 14th
February
2018
Faith: Christianity
Event: Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday marks
the first day of Lent in
remembrance of the 40 days
Jesusas
spent in the wilderness
where he was faced with
temptations. Ash Wednesday
is always celebrated on a
Wednesday, 7 weeks prior
to Easter and the day after
Shrove Tuesday—also known
as Pancake Day. Worshippers'
foreheads are marked with a
cross of ash in Catholic and
some Anglican Churches—
which is where the name Ash
Wednesday comes from.
Thursday 15th
February
2018
Faith: Buddhism
Event: Parinirvana
The Buddhist holiday of
Parinirvana—also known as
Nirvana Day-commemorates
the death of Buddhaas
.
Buddhists celebrate this day
as it is believed Buddhaas
had
reached Enlightenment and
the stage of Nirvana. Some
spend this day in intense
meditation and reciting from
the Patrinibanna Sutta and
it is a time to reflect over the
inevitability of death. Others
spend this time visiting
temples and shrines to honour
the death of their master.

The Review of Religions February 2018

The Review of Religions February 2018

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The Review of Religions February 2018