In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful... The HOPE Bulletin.. Health, Ongoing Projects, Education Hazrat Ameer s visit to the UK Last Jumu ah/reception in Aylesbury *** 2011 www.aaiil.org
Akbar Ibn Abdullah, Editor ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are indeed grateful to Dr. Jawad Ahmad for providing us with such an elegant and informative selection of photographs taken on the occasion of Hazrat Ameer-i-Qaum, Professor Dr Abdul Karim Saeed Pasha Sahib delivering the khutba and leading the Jumu ah prayer at Darus Salam, London Mission House, towards the last leg of his tour of the United Kingdom. We also acknowledge with thanks the receipt of photographs submitted for publication in this special supplement taken by Dr Jawad Ahmad taken at his residence during the farewell tea party given by the Nasir Ahmad family to our beloved Hazrat Ameer, a week before Hazrat Ameer s departure for Lahore, Pakistan. Jazak Allah and may Allah bless him for his contribution. Aameen. We are also thankful to our venerable brother, Nasir Ahmad Sahib, who has taken his valuable time to submit this most comprehensive report to accompany the photographs, describing in detail the events at the Jumu ah prayer at the London Mission House and the farewell tea party at his residence. JazakAllah, and may Allah (swt) grant him stamina, sincerity and faith to continue to be a regular contributor to The HOPE Bulletin. Aameen. As always, we welcome your comments and feedback. Jumu ah at Darus Salaam, Wembley Hazrat Ameer, Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed, Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, on the last leg of his European tour, is now in London. Last Friday he delivered the Jumu ah sermon at Darus Salaam, Wembley, London. Timothy Miller meets Hazrat Ameer Mr. Timothy Miller, Vice-Chairman of the Universal Peace Federation, Europe, came specially to meet Hazrat Ameer. He joined the congregation and stayed until the evening and had detailed discussions with Hazrat Ameer about future coordination to further the cause of peace through interfaith meetings. Universal Peace Federation The Universal Peace Federation for the European Countries has its headquarter in Lancaster Gate, London, and its branch, the Women s Federation for World Peace, is granted consultative status at the United Nations as an NGO. The aim of the UPF is to bring together people of goodwill from different faiths to break down barriers between them and get them closer, thus making it possible to address common issues together. These include conflicts between faiths and peoples of the world, prejudices between people of different political affiliations, and of different castes, creeds and colour; undertaking of humanitarian projects like eradicating poverty, and promoting the education of young people.
Get-together at Aylesbury Reception for Hazrat Ameer On 20 November 2011, a get-together was organised at the residence of Dr. & Mrs. Jawad Ahmad in Aylesbury, UK. As Hazrat Ameer was leaving on the 27th, this was the last, and in a way, a farewell party in his honour. Families from London, Birmingham, Bedford and Milton Keynes hosted the one-dish tea party and had the honour of listening to Hazrat Ameer s impressive talk and meeting him in an informal and cordial atmosphere. First, Dr. Jawad Ahmad welcomed Hazrat Ameer and thanked him for his kind visit. Then Simra Khayam, Inshaal Ahmad and Faizaan Ahmad made short contributions about Eid al-adha, the challenges faced by a young person living in England, and how we can derive inspiration from the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), especially from his earnest endeavour to stand against oppression and maintain peace among different peoples. In this regard, Inshaal Ahmad referred to the Alliance for Peace, called Hilful Fuzul (Alliance for Peace), in which the Holy Prophet Muhammad, as a young man in his teens, played a vital role. The Holy Prophet s concern for the oppressed and his courage to go out of the way to stand up to his commitments earned him the title of Al-Amin (the Most Trustworthy). The text of the contributions made on this occasion is reproduced towards the end of this report.
Hazrat Ameer s talk on Time Hazrat Ameer started his talk with the recitation of the chapter Al- Asr (The Time), the English translation of which runs as follows: By the time! Surely man is in loss, except those who believe and do good, and exhort one another to Truth, and exhort one another to patience (Ch. 110). He explained its meaning and more so its significance in leading a purposeful life. He said it is a fact that time gone is lost forever, and cannot be retrieved. The only way to save oneself from the loss is to utilise it in some productive way. The Holy Qur an has used two words as a guide to utilise time: 1. To believe or commit oneself to adhere to the Truth; and 2. to practise good in accordance with the guidance provided. This chapter also emphasises the importance of exhorting others to follow the truth and participate in maintaining peace and goodwill in the society. This requires much patience. To follow a guideline requires perseverance, but to exhort others to follow the same requires a lot of patience. The Holy Qur an says at the very start that it is a Book of guidance which undoubtedly leads to the ultimate truth.
Elsewhere in the Holy Qur an, it says: Successful indeed are the believers (23:1). Hazrat Ameer pointed out that there are two options open to a person to utilise time. One is to possess as much material gain as possible for one s physical welfare and comfort, but it is not lasting in the sense that it does not necessarily earn good for the hereafter. But Allah wishes to guide man through His Divine guidance to a way of life which earns good not only for one s worldly life but which also reaps everlasting blessings for the life to come. The Holy Qur an compares leading such a purposeful life as enjoying the blessings of two gardens: And for him who fears to stand before his Lord are two Gardens (55:46). State of goodness The highest state of goodness is that one does good for the love of God. The Holy Qur an has used the word ihsaan for this state in which man s nature is so inclined to good that he has to make no effort for doing good; he does it solely for the love of God. At this point, Hazrat Ameer quoted Hazrat Rabi a Basri s mystic explanation on what is the love of God. (Hazrat Rabi a was a well-known mystic and saintly woman of the mid-eighth century AD who lived in the city of Basra in Iraq.) Hazrat Rabi a Basri s explanation of love of God It is narrated that one day Hazrat Rabi a Basri was seen running through the streets of Basra carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When asked what she was doing, she said: I want to put out the fires of Hell with the water, and burn down the rewards of Paradise with the torch as they block the way to the love of God. I do not want to worship Allah from fear of punishment of the fire of Hell or for the promise of rewards of Paradise, but simply for the love of God.
Condition of the Pledge To hold religion above all the world At this point, Hazrat Ameer referred to one of the ten conditions of the Pledge enjoined by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement for his disciples, which says to hold religion above the world. In other words, it means that in delving into everyday affairs of the worldly life our objective should be to uphold the commandments of Allah. Involvement of children A most interesting part of Hazrat Ameer s talk was that he kept asking questions to the children and keeping them involved throughout. For instance, he asked: How many hours does a person generally sleep? The children replied: From six to eight hours. He said that means an average person spends one third of his life in sleep. And since some of a person s time is spent in eating and some in enjoying TV or other recreational activities, then generally out of 24 hours hardly does he work or do something positive or productive for six to eight hours. He advised all, and especially the youth, to value time and always try to utilise it in doing something good and beneficial, as this is the right of way of making life purposeful. Guidance provided by the Qur an He concluded his talk by saying that the Qur an provides guidance for a purposeful life on this earth, which not only brings success in this worldly life but also yields rewards in the hereafter.
End of evening In the evening, joint Maghrib and Isha congregational prayers were held. Everyone, and in particular the children, enjoyed Hazrat Ameer s company and talked to him on various topics. And thus this lovely get-together came to end.
The following are the contributions made by the youngsters, Simra, Inshaal and Faizaan at the reception. Evergreen legacy of a righteous mother Simra Khayyam (age 14), Milton Keynes We recently celebrated Eid al-adha, a festival when an animal is sacrificed to commemorate the intended sacrifice of Hazrat Ishmael as commanded by Allah to Hazrat Ibrahim in a dream. It is also called Eid al- Adhiyya; that is, the festival of sacrifices. In fact, it commemorates a long history of hardships borne, and sacrifices made by Hazrat Hajara, Hazrat Ishmael, and finally by Hazrat Ibrahim. All these righteous servants of Allah submitted to the commandments of Allah. They left their fertile, comfortable homeland, undertook a long and arduous journey, and eventually reached the barren land of Makkah, which was, and still is, surrounded by stark and arid mountains. A mother, from the time she conceives to the birth of her child, and during the upbringing of that child, plays an important role in moulding his character and behaviour. In fact, she nourishes her child with her blood and thus he is a part of her body. Allah says in the Qur an: And We have enjoined on man concerning his parents his mother bears him with fainting upon fainting and his weaning takes two years So Allah says: Give thanks to Me and to thy parents. To Me is the eventual coming (31:14). Hazrat Hajara s submission to Allah s commandments to Hazrat Ibrahim is unique in so many ways her conviction about Allah, her affection for the infant child, and her loyalty to her husband and is a great source of inspiration for every one of us. The hillocks of Safa and Marwah, between which a desperate mother ran up and down searching for water to ensure the survival of her thirsty infant, and her earnest pleadings to Allah in those tense moments earned such an overwhelming divine grace and mercy that Allah made the running between the hillocks part of the annual Pilgrimage. Today, every believing man, woman and child tries during pilgrimage to walk in the manner Hazrat Hajara might have done. The Holy Qur an uses the word sa i, meaning an effort, to signify this. While it cannot be done exactly as Hazrat Hajara did it, yet just the act commemorates those intense, effortful moments which that mother went through.
While it is easy to recount those moments in words, to actually go through that trying experience needs extraordinary endurance and conviction. It is recorded in the books of history that when Hazrat Ibrahim, after staying for some days, wanted to leave the mother and the child in that lonely place, Hazrat Hajara asked him: In whose care are you leaving us? Hazrat Abraham replied: In the care of Allah. Hazrat Hajarah s spontaneous reply was: Then surely Allah will protect and provide sustenance and He will never forsake us. What a matchless trust and faith in the support of Allah! And see how much Allah has rewarded her strong faith and steadfastness. Millions of believers from all over the world visit the Ka bah annually and eagerly walk along the path which Hazrat Hajara walked. Thus the festival of Eid al-adha is not so much about the sacrifice of an animal but it is more about a firm conviction in Allah that He alone has the power to protect and reward our good deeds and selfless sacrifices. The Holy Qur an says: The Safa and the Marwa are truly among the signs of Allah; so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit to it, there is no blame on him if he goes round them. And whoever does good spontaneously surely Allah is Bountiful in rewarding and He is the Knowing (2:158). May Allah bless us with the love and affection of our parents and may He grant us the wisdom to obey them so that we may practise what is good and shun what is bad and thus earn the blessings of Allah. Make someday today Faizaan Ahmad (age 15) In a western society like the one we live in, I believe people are getting lazier and lazier. I get lots of homework in school, which, if it isn t finished, will land me in trouble. But I am not only getting in trouble with the teacher, I am also creating trouble towards my own life. In a society where there are many distractions and problems towards working hard and achieving your goals, the prefix someday is used a lot. Not just young people, but also old; and not just western people. In fact, everybody in the world at some point in their life will just say they can t be asked, including myself. So I would just like to read out a small speech, addressed mainly to all the kids here today, to show that you should never have a can t be asked attitude, and to look upon challenges with a smile and the knowledge that when you complete them, you feel ten times better.
In life, we always aspire to do things but sometimes we only aspire and don t carry out the necessary actions to achieve what we can. A common prefix people use if they want to achieve something in the future is someday. It could be anything as simple as someday I want to mow the lawn to more complex objectives like someday I want to be a scientist. Most people who say someday won t get anywhere in life because that day keeps getting pushed further and further back in priority until it no longer remains a reality. If Bill Gates had said someday I want to create a computer empire, we would all have Apple Macs because Windows would have never come into existence. Instead, people like Bill Gates make someday into today, and as soon as they aspire to achieve something they work hard to achieve it rather than waiting for it to happen. So, make someday today. This concept can be applied to all sorts of scenarios, whether it is at home, work or in education. At home we can aspire to do things like tidy up the house, wash the dishes, etc. But unless we don t actually get up off our backsides and do it, then it won t happen. To achieve a goal we have to be active and a large factor for why people don t achieve what they set out to do is laziness. In the workplace we can aspire to get a better job, but without putting hard work in through education and training and having an impressive CV, we can t get the job we want. Similarly, while at school, college or university we need certain grades to pass or get admission to further education. We again can only achieve this through hard work and revision, which may seem boring at the time but if done properly will be satisfying when the results are out. So without putting hard work in we can t achieve any of our aspirations. Laziness can destroy our aspirations, so, as they say, you have to give something to get something. We can waste a whole lifetime with the word someday. So let s be active and make someday today, because if we can achieve our goals quickly then we can create further and more challenging goals. By achieving our goals we can achieve satisfaction in our life, and by the end of our time we would have achieved so much. However, we must bear in mind that our goals must be achievable and realistic. For example, aspirations such as, I want to be a millionaire, are farfetched. If we set goals that we don t achieve we feel unhappy and unsatisfied with ourselves. We should aspire first to achieve small goals and work our way up so that we can achieve the bigger goals in life. This way, we can achieve more self satisfaction and lead a more productive and fulfilled life. The Holy Prophet Muhammad and the Alliance for Peace Inshaal Ahmad (age 16)
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was fifteen, a local war broke out during the Hajj season between the Quraish and Hawazin tribes. According to Makkan tradition, war was forbidden during the months of Hajj. Despite that, the war lasted for four years, with intervals, and caused tremendous hardship to people on both sides. Life was becoming intolerable because of insecurity and unnecessary bloodshed. The reason for the war seemed silly to the Holy Prophet Muhammad and he felt quite disgusted at the senseless bloodshed. Reasonable persons among the two tribes seriously began to think about how to stop it and bring peace in the area. At the initiative of Zubair, the Holy Prophet s uncle, a meeting was called at the house of Abdullah ibn Jud aan, who was an influential and wealthy person. As a result of long discussion and negotiation, an alliance was agreed upon and a committee called the Hilf al-fuzool was formed. It was an agreement among selected people from the two tribes to maintain peace and to jointly defend anyone in the tribes who was oppressed or persecuted. They also decided to help the poor and needy among them. It is narrated that the names of most of the persons included in the committee started with the word Fazl, and that was how it came to be known as the Alliance of Fuzool. (It is the plural form of the word Fazl.) The Holy Prophet Muhammad was also there when the committee was being formed and he took the following oath: I uphold the pact concluded in my presence when Ibn Jud aan gave us a great banquet. Should it ever be invoked, I shall immediately rise to answer the call. The participation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in the Alliance is proof of his concern and interest in welfare activities, even in his youth. A word of advice. As young people, when you study the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, you should commit yourselves to taking part in the welfare of people in general and the welfare of your fellow youngsters in particular. You should also take lessons from it and put these lessons into practice, as the Qur an says that the Holy Prophet is the most sublime example. If you look around, you will find many unjust and wrong things being practised around you. You should decide as a young person to do whatever you can to remedy the injustice and wrongdoing. CONTACT INFORMATION Akbar Abdullah Editor, The HOPE Bulletin Mailing Address: P.O. Box 232811 Sacramento, California 95823-0430, U.S.A. E-mail Address: akbar_786us@yahoo.com Telephone Number: (773) 539-6892 ISLAM stands for I SHALL LOVE ALL MANKIND