An informational, literary, educational, and training magazine of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, USA : The Ahmadiyya : GAZETTE USA November 2016 Inauguration Ceremony of the Nusrat Mosque Coon Rapids, Minnesota Tabligh Activities in Merida, Mexico Scenes from 2016 Jalsa Salana USA Scenes from 2016 Jalsa Salana USA Milwaukee Chapter Activities Unrest in Milwaukee National Night Out Members of Jamā‛at participated in National Night Out at Kopps Park event with the Faith-based Group they affiliate with. A In the month of September 2016 a violent outbreak picture was taken with occurred in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park District which is Erfan Ahmad with the close to the ParkLawn District where our Mosque is Mayor of Milwaukee located. A policeman shot and killed a young man on the Tom Barrett. run. Jamā‛at member reached out to the authorities in which made food for 7th District police. On the other side Meeting with an outreach was made to the family of the victim in Sheriff Clark which money was donated for the burial of the victim. Due to the One of our members, Muhibb Dyer who works with the Islamophobia youth in the community was asked to speak and he spoke comments made by at the victim’s funeral and Rev Jesse Jackson of Chicago Sheriff Clark in the did the eulogy. Everything went well, and from that the media, the Public disturbance subsided. (Khalid Walid, Milwaukee) Affairs Secretary Bronsville Street Day Saturday August 6, 2016 Rizwan Ahmad arranged a meeting on August 23 2016 with the Sheriff to discuss his views about Islam. Members of Jamā‛at participated in Exhibition President Nasirullah Ahmad, Tabligh Secretary Hassiem setup on Bronsville Street Day in Milwaukee, an all-day Babatu, Public Affairs Secretary Rizwan Ahmad and event. Over three hundred “Peace for Messiah” flyers Rizwan’s wife had a fruitful two-hour conversation with were distributed. The Program was a project of the the Sheriff. Afterwards the Sheriff appreciated the African American Desk, Milwaukee. meeting and gathered a new prospective about the world of Islam. The Ahmadiyya Gazette USA Vol. 67. No. 11. — November 2016 Patron: Sahibzada Dr. Mirza Maghfoor`Ahmad Table of Contents Amīr Jamā‘at Aḥmadiyya USA Editorial Advisors: Serving People Mohammed Zafarullah Hanjra Syed Shamshad Ahmad Nasir Editor: Syed Sajid Ahmad Guidance from Holy Qur’ān: Good for the Assistant Editor: Dr. Mahmud Ahmad Nagi Design: Latif Ahmed Mankind ..................................................... 2 Online Gazette: Hammad Malik. Jaleel Akbar. Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad s About Visit us at AhmadiyyaGazette.us Serving People ........................................... 3 The Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA Baitur-Rahman, 15000 Good Hope Road, From the Writings of the Promised Messiah a Silver Spring, MD 20905 Regarding Serving People ......................... 4 Phone: 301-879-0110 FAX: 301-879-0115 Waqf Jadid ....................................................... 5 e-mails: [email protected] [email protected] Khilāfat News and Announcements ................ 6 Acronyms for salutations used in this publication Weekly Guidance from Ḥaḍrat Khalīfatul-Masīḥ sa/s: Ṣallallāhu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam V (may Allāh be his Helper) .................... 20 (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) as/a: ‘Alaihis-Salām (may peace be upon him) Activities and News of Aḥmadiyya Muslim ra: Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu/‘Anha Community in USA ................................. 29 (may Allāh be pleased with him/her) rh: Raḥimahullāhu Ta‘ālā 2016 USA Presidential Election .................... 47 (may Allāh shower His mercy on him) International Jamā‘at News ......................... 48 aba: Ayyadahullāhu Ta‘ālā Bi-Naṣrihil-‘Azīz (may Allāh support him with His mighty help) Paradise Under Your Feet ............................. 49 Finding Peace Through Simplicity ................ 52 Verse numbers in the references from the Holy Qur’ān count Tasmiya at the beginning of a chapter as the first Religious Values: Do they have a place in today’s verse. world? ...................................................... 55 Disclaimer: The material presented herein reflects the Sisterhood - Beyond Boundaries .................. 58 original content of the authors. To the extent possible, Gazette staff has attempted to screen the material for accuracy and appropriateness but some oversights may  have occurred. If the reader identifies a mistake and/or would like to comment on some of the material, please Buy and Review Books contact Gazette staff ([email protected]). http://www.amazon.com/shops/ahmadiyya The Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA is published by The Aḥmadiyya Movement in Islam, Inc., Mohammad Ahmed Nasir, at Fazl-i-Umar Press, P.O. Box 226, Chauncey, OH 45719 In charge Aḥmadiyya Bookstore USA Periodical Postage Paid at Chauncey, Ohio [email protected] Postmaster: Send address changes to The Aḥmadiyya Gazette  P.O. Box 226, Chauncey, OH 45719-0026 Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  1  November 2016 Guidance from the Holy Qur’an Good for the Mankind ُ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ َ ُ ُ ۡفِ ۡورعملابۡنۡورمۡاتۡسانلِلۡتجرخۡاۡۡۃ مۡاۡرۡیخۡمتۡنک ِ ِ ِ ّٰ َ ُ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ۡؕۡۡہِ للابۡنۡونمِ ؤتۡۡوۡ ۡرکۡنملاۡنعۡنۡوھۡنتۡۡو ِ ِ ِ ُ َ ً َ َ َ َ ّٰ ُ َ َ َ ّٰ َ َ ؕۡۡمھۡلۡارۡیخۡناکلۡبِ تکِ لاۡۡلۡہاۡنمۡاۡولۡۡو َ ُ ّٰ ُ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ ُ ﴾۱۱۱﴿ۡۡنۡوقسِ ۡفلاۡمۡھۡرثکاۡۡوۡنۡونمِ ؤمۡلاۡمۡھۡنمِ ۡ You are the best people, raised for the good of mankind; you enjoin good and forbid evil and believe in Allah. And if the people of the Book had believed, it would have, surely, been better for them. Some of them are believers, but most of them are transgressors. (3 [Āl ‘Imrān]: 111) Commentary: The verse not only claims that the Muslims are the best people—a great claim indeed—but also gives reasons for it. These reasons are: 1) Muslims have been raised for the good of others; 2) They have been raised not for the good of any one people or any one country but for the good of all mankind; 3) It has been made their duty to enjoin what is good and forbid evil and believe in one God. The history of Islam bears ample testimony to the fact that Muslims fulfilled all the hopes expressed in this verse. They were not only the torchbearers of Islam to the four corners of the world but they also contributed to the betterment of other peoples in a most remarkable manner. The renaissance of the West was mostly, if not entirely, due to their influence (e.g. The Making of Humanity by Robert Briffault). The greatness of a people is proportionate to the magnitude of their work. As Muslims were to bring about the good of all mankind, they have been declared the greatest of all peoples. In fact, the real purpose of a Muslim’s life is to do good to humanity. As Islam is the greatest good, so Muslims have been enjoined to convey its message to the whole world. They are also required to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. There are other people also who claim to enjoin good and forbid evil, but their aim in doing so is to contribute to the strength or betterment of their own respective communities. The Quran warns Muslims against having such restricted motives by adding the words, and you believe in Allah, i.e. your preaching about be for God’s sake only Who is the Lord of the worlds. The assignment of this great task to Muslims also implies the appearance of divine Messengers among them from time to time, for it is heavenly Messengers alone who can best perform this duty; and it is through them that we can properly realize the true significance of this task. It may also be pointed out here that, according to this verse, the excellence of the Muslim people is governed by, and is subject to, the above conditions i.e. preaching Islam to mankind and enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil; mere lip-profession of Islam cannot entitle anyone to claim excellence. (The Holy Qur’an with English Translation and Commentary (a.k.a. Five volume commentary), UK, 1988, p. 437) Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  2  November 2016 Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him About Serving People َ َ َ َ ُ ِّ ِّ َ ُ َ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ َّلاق َّقيدصلا َّركب وبأ َّفلِ ختسا امل َّتلاق اهنع للها ضىر َّةشِئعَ َّنأ ِ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ،ينمِ لِ سملا َّرِ مأِب َّتلغِ شو ،لِِ هأ َّةِ نوئم َّنع َّزجِ عت َّنكت َّمل َّتِ فرحِ َّنأ َّمِ وق َّملِ ع َّدقل َ . َ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ َ َ َ َّ َّهِ يفِ َّينمِ لِ سملِل َّفتَِ يَو َّلِ املا اذه َّنمِ َّر كب َّبِ أ َّلآ َّلكأيسف [Ḥaḍrat] ‘A’ishah relates that when Abu Bakr As-Siddiq [may Allah be pleased with him] was bestowed Khilāfat, he said, “My people know that my profession was capable of supporting my family, and as I engage in serving Muslims, the family of Abu Bakr will be supported from the official resources, and he [Abu Bakr] will engage in enhancing the resources of the Muslims.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2070. English translation adapted from Urdu translation by Sayyid Zainul-Abidin Waliyyullah Shah) ُ َ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ِّ َ ُ َ ِّ َ ُ َ ملسو هيلع للها لىص َّللِّ ا َّلِ وسر َّعم وزغن انك َّتلاق ،ءاَّرفع َّنِ با َّذ وعم َّتِ نِب َّعيبر َّنع . َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ ُ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َّ َّةِ نيدِ ملا َّلِإ َّحرلْاو َّلىتقلا َّدرنو ،مهمدنَو ،موقلا َّقِ سن [Ḥaḍrat] Rubayyi‘a bint Mu‘awwidh bin ‘Afra relates: We used to join Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in military expeditions and provide water to people, serve them and bring the dead and the wounded back to Medina. (Sahih al-Bukhari 5679) َ َ َ َ ََّ َ َ ً َ ُ َ َ ٌ َ َ ََّ َ َ َ َ ََّ َ ُ َ َ َّاهِبَّرموَّةسْكِ َّهتطعأفَّلِئاسَّاهِبَّرمَّ اهنعَّللهاَّضىرَّةشِئعََّنأَّ،ب يبِ شَّبِ أَّنِ بَّنِ وميمَّنع َ َ ََّ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ ٌ َ َ َ ٌ َ َ َ ٌ ُ َ َّللهاَّلىصَّللِّ اَّلوسرَّلاقَّتلاقفَّكِلذَّفِِ َّاهلَّليقِ فَّلكأفَّهتدعقأفَّةئيهوَّبايثِ َّهِ يلعَّلجر َ ُ َ َ َ َ ََّ ُ .َّ"َّمهلزانمَّسالاَّاولزنأَّ"َّملسوَّهيلع ِ ِ [Ḥaḍrat] Maimūn bin Abū Shabīb (May Allah be pleased with him) states: A beggar asked ‘A’ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) for charity and she gave him a piece of bread. Thereafter, one well-dressed person asked her for charity and she invited him to sit down and served him food. When she was asked about the reason for the difference in their treatment, she said: “Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed us: ‘Treat people according to their status’.” (Abū Dāwūd, Book of Manners, Chapter: Treating people according to their status) Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  3  September-October 2016 From the Writings of the Promised Messiah Regarding Serving People Devoting one’s life to the service of His creature A person can be held to be a Muslim when the whole of his being together with all his faculties, physical and spiritual, is devoted to God Almighty, and the trusts that are committed to him by God Almighty are rendered back to the True Giver… The second aspect of devoting one’s life to the cause of God Almighty is that one’s life should be devoted to the service of His creature and to sympathy with them and to sharing their burdens and sorrows. One should suffer pain to bring them comfort, and one should experience grief to bring them consolation. (The Essence of Islam, Vol. 1, p. 21-22) Episode of an Englishman for service to mankind An Englishman came to visit Qādiān on 20th November 1901, or thereabout. Many of my followers were with me at the time and we were engaged in religious discourse. He stood there for sometime until we courteously invited him to join us. He then introduced himself as an English tourist who had also been to Arabia, and expressed his desire to take some photographs of my Jamā‘at. We assented to his request and afterwards asked him to stay with us for a few days. But he seemed reluctant and said that he had heard of Christians being mercilessly killed at the hands of Muslims, and even related a few incidents that he had witnessed in Baghdad. But we explained to him that our Jamā‘at, known as Ahmadi sect, is strongly averse to such beliefs and abhors the perpetrators of these crimes, and our major service to mankind lies in trying to root out such beliefs. This satisfied him and he spent the night in our company. (How to be free from sin, p. 14) Good service to Muslims is to reform their moral conditions The one good service one could do to the Muslims would be to reform their moral conditions. Efforts should be made to dispel the false hopes, which they entertain in connection with the appearance of bloodthirsty Mahdi and Messiah. Such expectations are entirely against the teachings of Islam. I have just said that the ideas of some of the present day clerics that there will appear bloodthirsty Mahdi, who will spread Islam at the point of sword, are contrary to the Qur’anic teachings and are only the result of wishful thinking. (Jesus in India: Deliverance from the Cross and Journey to India, p. 13-14) Service to mankind God Almighty has appointed different methods for the discovery of the reality of things. Some are perceived through eyes, other through ear and some through a combination of senses. There are many verities, which can be perceived only by the heart… Man is equipped with many faculties and each of them performs diverse functions in the service of man. (The Essence of Islam, Vol. II, p. 407) One of the elements of worship is that you should love your enemy as you love yourself and your children, and that you should overlook the faults of others and forbear and be goodhearted and pure-minded, upright and clean- living and loyal and virtuous, free from evil inclinations; and that you should be of service to mankind with a natural inclination like that of some vegetables, without formality and without affectation; and that you should not hurt your less fortunate brother with your arrogance, nor injure him with harsh words. It is obligatory on you to respond to your aggrieved brother with courtesy and never speak to him contemptuously. You should die before your death and count yourself among the dead. Honor your visitor even if he be dressed in tattered rags and not in gorgeous robes and new garments. Greet with the salutation of peace, both the acquaintance and the stranger and be ever ready to share the burdens of others. (Ijazul-Masih, pp. 161-165)  Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  4  November 2016 Waqf Jadid GUIDANCE FROM THE HOLY QURAN And the case of those who spend their wealth to seek the pleasure of Allah and to strengthen their souls is like the case of a garden on elevated ground. Heavy rain falls on it so that it brings forth its fruit twofold. And if heavy rain does not fall on it, then light rain suffices. And Allah sees what you do. (2:266) SO SAID THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him Ḥaḍrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, a generous (person) is near Allah, near the people and near Paradise and far from Hell. On the contrary, a miser is far from Allah, far from the people and far from Paradise, but near Hell. An ignorant generous (person) is dearer to Allah than a miser worshipper. (Qushiriyyah) SO SAID THE PROMISED MESSIAH may peace be upon him Most member of my Jamā'at are poor and underprivileged, but to present oneself for the service of Allah with a pure heart is the cure for every problem and difficulty. So whoever truly believes in the existence of Allah and knows that he is dependent upon His favors in the material and spiritual world, should not let this blessed time go out of his hand, nor should he let the disease of miserliness deprove him of this reward. Only he deserves to join this Movement who has a high resolve and who promises Allah that from now on he shall try his best to offer each month whatever financial assistance he can offer in order to remove the difficulties faced by His religion. I is hypocrisy to remember Allah when faced by a calamity and to become heedless when one is in ease and comfort. Allah is Independent and Indifferent; it is you who have to prove your sincerity in order to attain His grace. May Allah be with you! (Majmu‛ah Ishtiharat, Vol. 3, pp 165-166) On the occasion of JALSA SĀLĀNA RABWAH, 1960, ḤAḌRAT MIRZA TAHIR AHMAD (r.h.) stated in his address on the “IMPORTANCE OF WAQF JADID" In reality, Allah revealed this scheme in the heart of Khalīfatul-Masīḥ II (may Allah be pleased with him). As a result of this inspiration, that Zaki Ghulam (pure boy), that Imam, that extremely intelligent and genius mind, spoke out and said: ‘This is the work of Allah and He will certainly fulfill it! And because God has placed this scheme in my heart, even if I have to sell my homes, even if I have to sell my clothes, I will fulfill my responsibility… For completion of my argument, I announce this once again so that people draw their attention towards financial sacrifice, as well as towards Waqf (dedication).’ ḤAḌRAT KHALĪFATUL-MASĪḤ V (may Allah be his Helper), said in FRIDAY SERMON, JAN. 3, 2014 “As we all know, in the beginning Waqf Jadid used to operate in Pakistan only, and then in the time of Ḥaḍrat Khalīfatul-Masīḥ (r.h.), this was extended to outside of Pakistan, so that the work of the Jamā‛at in Africa and India may be given much greater expansion. As I have said, in the last one year, in Africa and India, a great deal of construction of mosques and mission houses has taken place and some have also been bought. Apart from this there are Tabligh tasks by virtue of which hundreds of thousands of righteous souls have been blessed by Allah, the exalted, to accept Aḥmadiyyat, the true Islam. Without a doubt, the Ahmadis living in these countries are also making extraordinary sacrifices, each according to his or her own means, but because of their lack of means, they cannot make sufficiently large sacrifices to meet all their expenditures. This is why the Waqf Jadid Chanda from affluent countries is used specifically in Africa and India. However, as I said, the Ahmadis from these countries also make sacrifices with great passion and zeal. " I humbly ask all Jamā'at members to reread these few paragraphs, look into your hearts and maximize your sacrifice toward this Blessed Waqf Jadid Scheme. Yours in the service of Aḥmadiyya Islam, Nasirullah Ahmad, National Waqf Jadid Secretary Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  5  November 2016 Khilāfat News and Announcements Head of Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community launches MTA International Africa TV Channel The Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community is pleased to Masroor Ahmad launched MTA International Africa – a announce that at 4 pm (BST) on 1 August 2016, the new television channel established specifically to meet World Head of the Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community, the the needs of the people of Africa. Fifth Khalīfa (Caliph), His Holiness, Ḥaḍrat Mirza Inspection of 50th Annual Convention of Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community UK Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  6  November 2016 The World Head of the Aḥmadiyya Muslim During the inspection, Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor Community, the Fifth Khalīfa, His Holiness, Ḥaḍrat Ahmad visited the various departments tasked with Mirza Masroor Ahmad conducted an inspection for the organizing and running the three-day event. His arrangements of the 50th Annual Convention (Jalsa Holiness was briefed on the arrangements as he inspected the site. Sālāna) of the Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community in the United Kingdom on Sunday 7 August 2016. Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  7  November 2016 Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said: “Every volunteer and worker should display excellent manners and etiquette at all time. They should ensure that they do not say or do anything that could cause offence or worry to any of the guests.” Reminding the volunteers about the importance of prayer, Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said: “Only through prayer and the worship of Allah will our efforts and our work be blessed. This is the secret to our success! Without Allah’s Later, His Holiness directly addressed many of the Grace and Mercy we cannot achieve anything. 5,000 volunteer workers and advised them to conduct Earlier, His Holiness also inspected Jalsa Sālāna their duties with diligence and to be regular in prayer. arrangements made at the Baitul-Futūh Mosque in He advised the workers to display the very best manners London and at the premises of Jāmi‘a Aḥmadiyya UK in throughout. Haslemere. More than 584,000 people join Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community The 50th Jalsa Sālāna (Annual Convention) of the was the pledge of allegiance, known as Bai‘at that took place on Sunday afternoon, where the participants Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community in the United Kingdom pledged allegiance to Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad as concluded on Sunday 14 August 2016 with a powerful the Fifth Khalīfa (Caliph) of the Promised Messiah and faith-inspiring address by the World Head the (peace be upon him). Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalīfa (Caliph), His Holiness Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. The participants formed a human chain leading to the Khalīfa as they repeated the words of the pledge in During his concluding address, His Holiness called unison. on Islam’s critics to judge the religion on its true teachings, rather than focusing upon the hateful acts of Prior to the ceremony, His Holiness announced that a tiny minority of extremists. more than 584,000 people had joined the Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community during the past year from all around More than 38,000 people attended the Jalsa Sālāna, the world. He also announced that the Aḥmadiyya which took place at Hadeeqatul-Mahdi in Alton, Muslim Community was now established in 209 Hampshire. countries. Apart from the thousands of Ahmadi Muslims who In his concluding address, Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor participated, many non-Ahmadi and non-Muslim guests Ahmad said that critics of Islam continued to raise also attended. The entire event was also broadcast live unjust and entirely unfounded allegations against the on MTA International and streamed online. religion. One of the highlights of the three-day Jalsa Sālāna Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said: Aḥmadiyya Gazette USA  8  November 2016