I was going to do another ‘article of faith’ this time, but due to the terrible incident that happened at London Bridge, I have decided to talk about that and will continue the subject on the articles of faith later, Insha’Allah (God willing).
I just sent the following press release to my local newspapers:
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at Nasir Mosque, Hartlepool, expresses its deepest sympathies and condolences to all those affected by yet another barbaric and inhumane attack this time at London Bridge. We were shocked and appalled by the brutality and disregard for human life and cannot understand what possesses anyone to do such a terrible thing.
Mr Tahir Selby, Imam of the Nasir Mosque at Brougham Terrace, Hartlepool says, “We held a Peace Seminar only last Sunday to promote peace, justice and harmony and bring people together, but then such terrible acts like this, undo all the efforts that we make to create a peaceful society. In my speech about establishing peace through justice, I explained that the religion of Islam has nothing to do with terrorism, it is people who misuse the religion of Islam to promote terrorism. The religion of Islam promotes peace and justice and the Holy Qur’an in Chapter 2, verse 257 makes this very clear by stating “There should be no compulsion in religion, surely the right way has become distinct from error”.
I wish these terrorists learn what the true teachings of Islam states and learn from the beautiful teachings of Islam and the example of our beloved Holy Prophet, which establishes peace and justice, not hate and terror!
I want to reassure all the lovely people of Hartlepool that we will continue to explain the true teachings of Islam to everyone, Muslims and non-Muslims and condemn any barbaric action like this, whoever does it, and stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone who wants peace and love. As I reaffirmed at the Peace Seminar that our motto is ‘Love for All, Hatred for None’ and I instil into our members to always be helpful and be tolerant of each other.
I related the message of our founder, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, who said “Remember that the One God loves compassion and kindness and wants us to be kind to His subjects and people. If He liked harshness and selfishness, He would have prescribed that, but such a teaching is below His Grace. He is the Gracious, the Merciful Therefore, you who have a bond with me, remember that you should be gracious to everyone regardless of his religion, creed or race. Be kind to everyone as that is the teachings of the Holy Qur’an.”
I also related that our present leader, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad has repeatedly emphasised “The world needs peace, love and brotherhood. The world needs an end to wars. Instead of walls of hatred being erected we need peace to prevail and for this to occur people of all faiths must join together.”
It is our duty as God-fearing people to keep establishing peace and justice and condemn such bad actions of man.
At the Peace Seminar I explained that the best example to give on how establishing justice can lead to peace, must be the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, he understood the Qur’anic teachings better than anyone else and his is the example that every Muslim should always follow.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, actively promoted peace, justice, tolerance and compassion for all non-Muslim minorities living in Arabia. He did not simply demand religious justice of his followers; but he laid down the foundations to provide legal and constitutional protections for religious minorities.
When the Holy Prophet settled in Medina, he set about creating the first Islamic state. In Medina were not only Muslims, but there was three Jewish tribes and other Arabs who had not accepted Islam. The Holy Prophet was asked to govern all the citizens. To achieve this he made a formal agreement, known as the Charter of Medina in 622 A.D. We should also bear in mind that this Charter of Medina pre-dated the English Magna Carta by almost six centuries.
It was a formal agreement between Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, and all of the significant tribes and families of Medina, including Muslims, Jews and non-Muslim Arabs.
- Remarkably 45% of the total population in Medina consisted of non-Muslim Arabs,
- 40% consisted of Jews,
- and only 15% consisted of Muslims.
The Charter consists of 47 clauses which set forth the formation of a sovereign nation-state with a common citizenship for all communities. The Charter protects fundamental human rights and justice for all citizens, including equality, cooperation, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. Clause 25 states that Jews and non-Muslim Arabs are entitled to practice their own faith without any restrictions.
In short, this was the first document in history to establish religious freedom as a fundamental constitutional right.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, sent letters to various kings surrounding Arabia declaring his intention for peace, justice and cooperation. One such letter was written to the monks of the St. Catherine Monastery of Mt. Sinai in 628 A.D. and known today as the “Charter of Privileges.”
The letter reads:
“This is a message from Muhammad, son of Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation of (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”
Western Islamic scholar, Marmaduke Pickthall, comments on this letter as follows:
“The Charter which Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, granted to the Christian monks of Sinai is a living document. If you read it, you will see that it breathes not only goodwill, but also actual love. He gave to the Jews of Medina, so long as they were faithful to him, precisely the same treatment as to any Muslims. He never was aggressive against any man or class of men . . . The story of his reception of Christian and Zoroastrian visitors is on record. There is not a trace of religious intolerance in any of this.”
It is a tragic irony that much of the Islamic world has lost sight of Islam’s true and essential teachings concerning religious freedom and justice.
Islam stresses on justice to keep peace in the world. The Holy Quran has also given guiding principles of day-to-day life that promote peace.
For example chapter 2 verse 189 of the Holy Quran promotes fair trade and upholding the integrity of all transactions. Allah instructs Muslims to acquire wealth in an honest and truthful manner, not being unjust.
Chapter 83 verses 2-4, the Holy Quran condemns those who are exploitative in business transactions, try to short-change others while demanding more than their due, in return. Such people are cursed and will be disgraced.
The teachings of Islam guide us on how to establish national peace.
Those who are given authority have a responsibility and a trust. That trust must be discharged with absolute justice and that government should be carried out in consultation with the people.
The Holy Qur’an says:
“Verily, Allah commands you to make over the trusts to those entitled to them, and that, when you judge between men, you judge with justice. And surely excellent is that with which Allah admonishes you! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” (Chapter 4, verse 59)
Islam teaches that those who are given authority over you, you should give the fullest co-operation and obedience and not to rebel against them.
The next verse goes on to say:
“O ye who believe! obey Allah, and obey His Messenger and those who are in authority among you…” (Chapter 4, verse 60)
Obedience cuts at the root of all kinds of rebellion and anarchy and by laying absolute emphasis on this, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, laid the foundation for national peace.
For the attainment of World Peace, the Holy Qur’an guides us to the settlement of international disputes, the following verse of the Holy Qur’an states:
“And if two parties of believers fight against each other, make peace between them; then if after that one of them transgresses against the other, fight the party that transgresses until it returns to the command of Allah. Then if it returns, make peace between them with equity, and act justly. Verily, Allah loves the just.” (Chapter 49, verse 10)
This verse serves as an excellent model for the whole world and especially the United Nations. Islam forbids aggression but urges us to fight if failure to fight jeopardises peace and promotes war. This is the teaching on which peace can ultimately be built and this is the teaching on which the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, based his practice.
I think it is interesting to note here that the United Nations after the 2nd World War in 1948 made a universal declaration of Human Rights and everyone of those 30 articles to attain peace in the world, the same teachings are found in the Holy Qur’an.
It is our duty, as Muslims, to follow the ambassador of peace and become instrumental in establishing the peace and justice in the world which our Beloved Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, pined for so much.
May Allah, the One God, enable us to keep striving for World Peace and justice and strive to Worship the One God and follow His teachings properly, Ameen.