Issuu

Answers to Everyday Issues Part 117

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Islam Ahmadiyyat in the East and West Indies (1926)

Tabarruk and the risk of shirk: What the Promised Messiah actually said

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In memory of Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Lyallpuri Sahib

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026 | Issue CDXLII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396

Does ‘gentle parenting’ truly reﬂect the Islamic model of child-rearing? Many children grow up harbouring a deepseated fear of their own parents. Some become quick-tempered, struggle with selfconfidence, grow withdrawn or even lose all emotional closeness with their families. Others may appear obedient but are merely acting out of fear of reprimand. This situation is merely the tip of the iceberg – a remnant of past parenting practices that have long been regarded as normal. For decades, harsh shouting threats and even physical punishment have often served as the primary tools for disciplining children. Yet, without realising it, this parenting style – fraught with emotional repression – leaves internal scars that persist well into adulthood, even if it produces compliant children. In the modern world, when a generation carrying these emotional wounds grows up and becomes new parents, a collective desire to break this cycle emerges. They do not want their own children to experience the same fear. This wave of awareness has propelled the popularity of “gentle parenting” – a parenting approach focused on empathy, validating a child’s emotions and completely rejecting all forms of verbal and physical aggression.

The challenges of a new era: Shouting and screens The transition toward a gentler approach to parenting, however, has not been without its challenges. Just as modern parents strive to restrain their emotions and refrain from outbursts, they are immediately confronted with a new reality never experienced by

previous generations: gadgets lurking around children from infancy. The struggle to regulate one’s emotions must now compete with the rapid tide of digitalisation. Many children today grow up accompanied by screens from a very tender age. In restaurants, in cars and even before bedtime, devices are their constant companions. While it may initially seem practical, this practice gradually weakens the emotional bond within the family. Modern science indicates that continuous shouting can disrupt a child’s emotional development. Intriguingly, excessive exposure to gadgets produces a remarkably similar emotional impact. Children become more easily angered, struggle to focus, lack empathy and find it difficult to build healthy social relationships.

This alarming phenomenon is comprehensively analysed by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt in his phenomenal book, The Anxious Generation. Haidt explains that the global transition from a “play-based childhood” to a “phonebased childhood” has triggered the largest mental health crisis in modern history. When children spend hours in front of screens, they lose crucial time needed for physical interaction, reading facial expressions and developing gross motor skills. As a result of this excessive digital interaction, the modern generation has experienced a drastic surge in acute anxiety and loneliness. Gadgets promise connectivity but isolate a child’s soul from the real world. Continued on page 3

Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa

The miser and the charitable spender

َ ُ َ َ ّٰ ‫ﻋ ْﻦ أ�ِ� ﻫ َﺮﻳْ َﺮة رﺿﻰ ا�� ﻋﻨﻪ‬ ّٰ ّ ٰ َ ُ َ َ َ ُ َّ َ ��‫أﻧﻪ � ِ�ﻊ رﺳﻮل ا�� ِ� ﺻﻠﻰ ا‬ َْ ُ َ َ ُ َُ ‫ﻴﻞ‬ ِ �ِ �‫�ﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ ﻳﻘﻮل ﻣﺜﻞ اﻟ‬ َ َْ ْ َ َ ‫َواﻟ ُﻤ ْﻨ ِﻔ ِﻖ ﻛ َﻤﺜ ِﻞ َر ُﺟﻠ� ِ� َ�ﻠ ْﻴ ِﻬ َﻤﺎ‬ ُ َ َّ ُ َ ْ ‫ﻳﺪ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺛ ِﺪﻳِّ ِﻬ َﻤﺎ‬ ٍ ‫ﺎن ِﻣﻦ ﺣ ِﺪ‬ ِ ‫ﺟﺒﺘ‬ َ َ ُ ْ ُ ْ َّ َ َ َ َ َ ‫إﻟَﻰ ﺗ‬ ‫ﻗ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ﺮ‬ ��‫ﻴﻬﻤﺎ ﻓﺄﻣﺎ اﻟﻤﻨ ِﻔﻖ ﻓ‬ ِ ِ ِ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ ُ ْ ُ ‫ﻳﻨ ِﻔﻖ ِإ�� ﺳﺒﻐﺖ ـ أو وﻓﺮت ـ �ﻠﻰ‬ ْ ُْ َ ُ َ َُ ‫ِﺟﻠ ِﺪ ِه َﺣ ّﺘﻰ �� ِ� َ� ﺑ َ َﻨﺎﻧﻪ َوﺗ ْﻌﻔ َﻮ‬ َ ُ َ َ ُ َْ َ َ ُ ََ ‫أﺛ َﺮه َوأ ّﻣﺎ اﻟ� ِ�ﻴﻞ ﻓ�� ﻳ ُ ِﺮﻳﺪ أ ْن‬ َ ْ ُّ ُ ْ َ َ َّ ً َ َ ‫ﻳ ُ ْﻨ ِﻔﻖ ﺷ ْﻴﺌﺎ ِإ�� ِﻗﺖ �ﻞ َﺣﻠﻘ ٍﺔ‬ َّ َ َ َ َ َ �‫َﻣ�ﺎﻧ َﻬﺎ ﻓ ُﻬ َﻮ ﻳ ُ َﻮ ّ ِﺳ ُﻌ َﻬﺎ َو�� ﺗ� ِﺴ ُﻊ‬

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that he heard Allah’s Messenger (sa) say: “The likeness of the miser and the one who spends [in charity] is that of two men wearing coats of iron extending from their breasts to their collarbones. As for the one who spends, whenever he spends, his coat expands – or becomes more ample – over his body until it covers his fingertips and effaces his footprints. As for the miser, whenever he wishes to spend anything, every ring of the coat clings firmly to its place. He tries to stretch it, but it will not expand.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab az-zakat, Hadith 1443)

Friday 4 September 2026 | AL HAKAM

This Week in History 4-10 September A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat

4 September

6 September

4 September 1965: On this day, an Ahmadiyya mosque in Dayton, Ohio, USA was ofﬁcially inaugurated. This mosque is the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s oldest purpose-built mosque in the USA. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 23, p. 48)

6 September 1915: Hazrat Qazi Muhammad Abdullah Bhatti (ra) departed for England with the aim of serving the mission there. When he left for England, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) provided him with some valuable advice. (Tarikhe-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 177)

4 September 2015: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) mentioned Sahibzadi Amatul Bari Sahiba, who had passed away. She was the paternal granddaughter of the Promised Messiah (as), daughter of Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib (ra), and the paternal aunt of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa). She was born in 1928 in Qadian. Huzoor (aa) mentioned that there was a coat of the Promised Messiah (as) (other than the well-known green coat), which was inherited by Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib (ra) and then by Amatul Bari Sahiba. She gifted this coat to Huzoor (aa) as a gesture of her love for Khilafat.

5 September 5 September 1903: On this day, the Promised Messiah (as) received the revelation:

‫اكلبےساكاٹایگاوردیساھامہرىرطفآای‬ [He was cut off from Kabul and came straight to us.] (Tadhkirah [English], p. 659) 5 September 1947: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-eMaud (ra) delivered his Friday sermon in Lahore, which was historically the ﬁrst-ever Friday sermon in Pakistan after the emigration from Qadian, India. (Al Fazl, 17 September 1947) 5 September 1997: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) exposed the government conspiracy against the Jamaat in The Gambia. In the following few sermons, Huzoor (rh) also provided further details about it. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 16, p. 655)

6 September 2016: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) inaugurated the Salam Mosque in Iserlohn, Germany. (“New Ahmadiyya Mosque opened in Iserlohn, Germany, by Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community”, www. pressahmadiyya.com)

7 September 7 September 1884: On this day, the Promised Messiah (as) wrote to Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanauri (ra) regarding his proposed 40-day retreat for prayer and seclusion. Huzoor (as) informed him that he was still in Qadian and had not yet proceeded to Sujanpur, explaining that the journey had been delayed due to his continued ill health and that it may be possible in the winter. This intended retreat later materialised, by divine direction, in Hoshiarpur in 1886, where the Promised Messiah (as) spent 40 days in seclusion and received the grand prophecy regarding the Promised Son, Hazrat Musleh-eMaud (ra). (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 3, p. 192) To read more, see: “Forty nights of seclusion” at alhakam.org. 7 September 1974: The National Assembly of Pakistan, through a constitutional amendment, declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims for the “purposes of the constitution and law.”

8 - 10 September 8 September 1969: On this date, the Japan mission was re-established by Major Abdul

Hameed Sahib. Abdul Hameed Sahib converted to Ahmadiyyat at the age of 18, after studying Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. He first served in the army and then dedicated his life after retiring from the army in 1960. He also served as a missionary in England and the United States. Arriving in Japan, he first stayed in a hotel and then started learning the Japanese language by enrolling in a school. He rented a house and started working. He widely distributed literature of the Jamaat. With the help of dictionaries and Japanese teachers, he published and distributed information about the second coming of the Messiah. He contacted the press and published articles in various Japanese newspapers such as The Japan Times. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 3, p. 658) 9 September 1983: On this day, during his tour of the Far East, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) delivered the Friday sermon in Singapore. On the same day, Huzoor (rh) also laid the foundation stone for a new mosque there. This marked a historic first, as it was the first time any Khalifatul Masih had toured that region. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 2, pp. 465-478) 9 September 2011: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) mentioned Nasim Ahmad Butt Sahib of Faisalabad, Pakistan, who was martyred on 4 September. His younger brother, Wasim Ahmad Butt Sahib, and paternal cousin, Naseer Ahmad Butt Sahib, were also martyred in 1994 and 2010, respectively. (Khutbat-e-Masroor, Vol. 9, pp. 460-461) 10 September 2004: During his Friday sermon on this day, delivered from Belgium, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) spoke on the reasons behind the failure of the UNO and other such organisations.

AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026

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Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

Religious Freedom Even in my very own village where our mosque is situated, there used to be an area occupied by government officials. This was during my childhood days, but I have heard from credible sources that when the British assumed rule, for some days the old laws prevailed. A certain official was in the area and he was accompanied by a Muslim soldier who came to the mosque and told the muezzin to make the call to Prayer. The muezzin made the call for prayer in the same murmuring voice as he was accustomed, to which the soldier said: ‘Is this how you make the call to Prayer?’ ‘Yes,’ said the muezzin. ‘No’, the soldier responded, ‘climb onto the roof of the mosque and make the call to Prayer in a loud voice; and do so in the loudest possible voice.’ The muezzin was apprehensive, but then he finally made the call to Prayer in a resonating voice. All the Hindus got together and took hold of the mullah. The poor man was petrified and was worried that the officer would hang him. The soldier reassured him saying : ‘I am with you.’ Ultimately, the cruel, brutal Brahmans apprehended him, whereafter they took him to the official and said: ‘Your honour! This man has corrupted us.’ The official, of course, knew that rule had shifted and that the Sikh regime was no longer in power, yet he still inquired in somewhat of a soft tone: ‘Why have you made the call to Prayer in a loud voice?’ The soldier stepped forward and said: ‘It was not him, but I who made the call to Prayer.’ The official addressed the mob and said: ‘You wretched people! What is all this uproar. In Lahore, the cow is now openly slaughtered without restrictions and you are wailing over the Muslim call to Prayer. Be gone and sit in peace.’ In short, my heart truly and honestly believes that it is a grave ingratitude and disloyalty to not acknowledge the favour of a people who have delivered us from the lowest depths. (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, pp.193 - 194)

On the other hand, Daniel Goleman, through his legendary concept of “emotional intelligence” emphasises that a child’s emotional brain does not develop automatically; it is designed to grow through external stimulation. The finest stimulation is a warm, secure and interactive emotional relationship between a child and their parents. When a mother gazes into her baby’s eyes with a smile or when a father listens intently to his child’s story, the neural circuits in the child’s brain are building the capacity to empathise, manage stress and exercise selfrestraint. Conversely, when parents ignore their child and choose to busy themselves with their phones or hand over a device just to keep the child from disturbing them, the development of emotional intelligence undergoes a functional failure. The impact is deeply ironic. A child who is frequently shouted at suffers trauma from verbal aggression, while a child left abandoned with a gadget experiences an emptiness of the soul due to emotional neglect. Both are wounded. In this era, breaking the cycle of past trauma is no longer just about lowering the volume of one’s voice; it is also about having the courage to limit screen time to be fully present as a parent.

Rifq: Kindness as the foundation of Islamic child-rearing In Islam, child-rearing does not begin with communication techniques or psychological theories, but rather with the tenderness of the parents’ hearts. Islam introduces the concept of rifq – gentleness born out of love, patience and a living relationship with Allah the Almighty. This gentleness is a reflection of the divine attribute itself. The Holy Prophet (sa) stated: “Verily, Allah is Kind and He loves kindness (rifq).” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab albirr, Hadith 4683) Gentleness in Islam, when it comes to parenting, does not imply weakness or permitting a child to do as they please. Rather, it is a method of upbringing that ensures a child feels secure, valued and loved without losing the moral direction of their education. Mirroring the parenting style of the Holy Prophet (sa) means anchoring oneself in this principle of rifq. History records that he was the best of examples in manifesting gentleness to children, long before the world ever coined the term “gentle parenting.” This is made clear from the account of a Companion of the Holy Prophet (sa), who saw the Prophet (sa) kissing his grandson Hazrat Hasan (ra). He remarked to the Holy Prophet (sa): “I have ten children and I have never kissed any of them.” Thereupon, the Messenger (sa) of Allah said: “He who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-adab, Hadith 5997) In the modern era, where children face complex mental pressures due to digital exposure, this principle of rifq finds renewed urgency through the guidance of the Khulafa. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa), on various occasions during his Friday Sermons and to various audiences, has consistently provided profound guidance that parents must absolutely avoid shouting

at their children. Shouting and explosive anger within the home can never reform a child’s behaviour; instead, it emotionally distances them and causes permanent psychological harm. As a practical solution to the challenges of the “gadget generation” discussed earlier, Huzoor (aa) has also strongly emphasised the importance of parents actively encouraging outdoor activities for their children. Rather than leaving children isolated in their rooms with phone screens, parents are advised to accompany them to interact with nature, engage in sports and play in open environments. This step is not merely a common physical exercise. Taking children outdoors, besides being scientifically proven to restore mental health and reduce anxiety, is a tangible manifestation of rifq. In the open air, parents possess a golden opportunity to rebuild warm communication, listen to their stories without distraction and introduce the grandeur of Allah the Almighty’s creation. Through this balance – safeguarding one’s tongue from shouting and providing healthy alternative activities – the Prophetic model of child-rearing can be revitalised within the modern family.

Gentle parenting stems from tazkiyat-un-nafs (purification of the self) Returning to the concept of gentle parenting, much of it aligns seamlessly with the sunnah of the Holy Prophet (sa): abstaining from shouting, respecting a child’s feelings, listening with empathy and educating through personal example. Nevertheless, Islam envisions a much broader objective than merely raising a child who is self-confident or emotionally healthy. In Islam, the ultimate goal of parenting is to mould an individual who is righteous, well-mannered, responsible and close to Allah the Almighty. Love without guidance can yield a fragile generation. Conversely, harshness without affection leaves deep internal wounds. Islam offers the perfect equilibrium. One of the greatest flaws in modern parenting is focusing too heavily on “fixing the child” while forgetting to reform oneself. But children do not learn merely from verbal advice. They learn from the atmosphere of the home, the way a father speaks to the mother, how a mother manages stress and how the parents connect with Allah the Almighty. This is exactly what Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) states: “A child’s nature also contains the tendency to imitate. This tendency is certainly for our benefit, but its misuse can also ruin a person or lead him towards destruction. It is through this tendency to imitate and the influence of the environment that a person learns his language from his parents, learns other things from them and adopts good qualities. By learning good things, a child develops good morals. “If the parents are righteous, regular in offering prayers, accustomed to reading and reciting the Holy Quran, loving and affectionate towards one another and they dislike falsehood, then the children, being influenced by them, will also adopt these virtues. However, if a child sees lying, quarrelling and fighting, making fun of

others in the home, showing no regard for the dignity of the Jamaat or other such evils, then because of this natural tendency to imitate, or due to the influence of the environment, the child will learn and adopt these very evils.” (Friday Sermon, 13 December 2013) The primary focus of modern gentle parenting often stops at the child’s psychological comfort. In Islam, however, the ultimate destination of all parenting endeavours is to rear a faithful servant, refined in conduct, responsible and possessing a firm spiritual bond with Allah the Almighty. Therefore, Islamic parenting must not fall into the trap of permissive parenting, where parents become too fearful of enforcing rules out of concern that their child might feel uncomfortable. Herein lies the perfect balance offered by Islam between gentleness and firmness. Excessive affection devoid of clear boundaries only breeds a spoiled and self-centred generation. On the contrary, rigid harshness without love boundlessly leaves behind deep resentment. Islam guides parents to be gentle in their approach, yet unwavering and firm in upholding the principles of adab (refined conduct) and the commandments of Allah. This signifies that before we can apply true gentle parenting to our children, the process of upbringing must commence with self-parenting – a process of tazkiyat-unnafs (purification of the soul) on the part of the parents. We can never offer genuine gentleness if our own souls remain barren and consumed by ego. When parents reform themselves and draw their hearts closer to the Creator, an aura of peace will naturally flow into the souls of their children.

Children are a trust, not a burden Ultimately, the entire discourse on parenting leads to a single realisation: children are a sacred trust (amanah) from Allah the Almighty. In this contemporary age, children are sometimes viewed as “future projects.” The focus of parents is frequently restricted to securing the best schools, academic achievements, skills or career prospects. However, Islam reminds us that a child is not merely a worldly investment. Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran: “O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire […].” (Surah at-Tahrim, Ch.66: V.7) This verse demonstrates that the success of parenting in Islam is measured not by report cards or future professions, but by a child’s morals and their relationship with Allah the Almighty. Amidst an era rife with distractions, mental pressures and fracturing family ties, the parenting model of the Holy Prophet (sa) becomes ever more relevant. Prophet Muhammad (sa) demonstrated that gentleness does not equal weakness and firmness need not be manifested through violence. He educated with love, while firmly instilling adab and responsibility. Islam teaches absolute balance: making children happy without indulging their base desires, building emotional closeness without losing the direction of their moral upbringing and raising children to succeed in this world while remaining honourable in the sight of Allah the Almighty. (Mira Tsurayya Basamalah, Indonesia)

Friday 4 September 2026 | AL HAKAM

Answers to Everyday Issues 117

Musleh-e-Maud Day and the colour green, witr, purity, Sha‘ban, menstruation and ‘Quba’ Guidance regarding basic Islamic issues – which Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa has given on various occasions in his written correspondence and during MTA programmes – is being ofﬁcially published below for everyone’s beneﬁt. Does the prophecy of Musleh-eMaud mention the colour green? A missionary from the USA wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that the trend of wearing green clothes among people at Jalsa Musleh-eMaud has grown significantly, to the extent that the entire mosque is decorated with the colour green and everyone is urged to wear green clothes on that day. He asked whether this custom is correct and what the details of its origin are. In his letter dated 21 March 2024, Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa) provided the following guidance in this regard: “Firstly, in this regard, the grand prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud granted to the Promised Messiah (as) is not called ‘the green prophecy’ because there is no mention of the colour green in it, nor does this prophecy have any direct connection with the colour green. This prophecy, which is referred to as the prophecy of 20 February 1886 and was published on 1 March 1886 in the supplement of the Riaz-e-Hind newspaper of Amritsar, was printed on standard off-white paper. The green announcement is different from the aforementioned prophecy and is titled Haqqani Taqrir Bar Waqi‘ah Wafate-Bashir [A Truthful Discourse on the Death of Bashir], which was published on 1 December 1888 in Riaz-e-Hind, Amritsar. In this announcement, the Promised Messiah (as) elaborated on certain portions of the Musleh-e-Maud prophecy of 20 February 1886 and recorded some signs and names of this illustrious son that were mentioned in the original prophecy of 20 February 1886. Since this announcement was published on green paper, it is referred to as the Green Announcement [Sabz Ishtihar]. And since it contains an elaboration of the Muslehe-Maud prophecy of 20 February 1886 along with a mention of some of its parts, a connection with the colour green has also been established with the prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud. Thus, a tradition has

developed within the Jamaat where, during the gatherings held on 20 February, some girls and women from Lajna wear green clothes or scarves and in the decoration of certain mosques where the Musleh-e-Maud Day gatherings are to take place, some green items are used to a certain extent. “Otherwise, green is a beautiful colour that is pleasing to the eyes. The mystics have also described a physical association of this colour with the personage of the Holy Prophet (sa), observing that the dome upon his blessed tomb is green, which is known as the Gumbad-e-Khazra. It is well known among the mystics and the people of the spiritual path that the reflection of the blessed tomb becomes fixed in the eyes of a true lover of the Holy Prophet (sa) due to the constant remembrance of their Master and Guide (sa) in their heart and mind, causing the colour of their eyes to appear green. Accordingly, the prominent writer of the Indo-Pak subcontinent, Mirza Farhatullah Baig (1886-1947), writes in one of his articles: “‘I had an uncle named Mirza Inayatullah Baig. He was a great friend of ascetics [faqirs]. He travelled all over India simply to meet ascetics and undertook exceedingly arduous spiritual exercises. You can gauge the extent of his spiritual striving from the fact that for almost forty years he did not sleep at night. He would offer the morning prayer and then sleep for two or two and a half hours, whereas the rest of his time was spent in the remembrance of God. One day, when I was setting off to visit Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib, my respected uncle said to me, “Son, do a task for me. The task is that you must observe the colour of the eyes of the gentleman you are going to meet.” I did not even understand what he meant by this. However, when I went to Mirza Sahib, I kept looking at his eyes very intently. I observed that a green-coloured fluid seemed to circulate within his eyes. In this context, I also observed him a little more closely myself, because previously, whenever I

visited him, I would always sit with my eyes lowered. This time, I noticed that his face was highly radiant. He had only about two fingers’ breadth of hair on his head and his beard was quite long. His eyes were lowered. When he spoke, he did so with great dignity, but sometimes he would also show a flash of righteous indignation. In any case, upon returning from there, I recounted all these events to my respected uncle. (He said to me,) “Farhat, look, never speak ill of this man. He is an ascetic and he is a true lover of the Holy Prophet (sa).” I asked, “How did you know this?” He replied, “Whoever remains constantly immersed in the thought of the Holy Prophet (sa) develops a green hue in their eyes and it appears as though a wave of green water is flowing within them.” “‘At that time I did not ask him the reason for this, but later I learned that all ascetics and people of the spiritual path agree that the colour of (the tomb) of the Holy Prophet (sa) is green. Through excessive remembrance of him, its reflection becomes fixed in the eyes.’ (‘Aalami Digest, Karachi, No. 10, October 1968, pp. 73-74) “Thus, if someone incorporates the colour green into their attire on the day of the Jalsa Musleh-e-Maud to express these associations and their joy or if some green decoration is put up in a mosque, there is no harm in it. However, it is entirely wrong to make it binding upon people, compelling them to attend wearing green attire or to think ill of those who do not wear green clothes or to force them into wearing it. “When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) was asked about the wisdom of the green colour in the Green Announcement, he

stated: “‘Green is a good colour and because it was a glad tiding, a prophecy concerning a boy and it was a joyful news, perhaps the colour green was chosen for this reason. I remember that in Qadian on Musleh-eMaud Day, girls used to wear green clothes in association with the Green Announcement.’ (Majlis-e-Irfan, 31 March 2003) “Therefore, if some girls wear green scarves and the like on the occasion of Jalsa Musleh-e-Maud or if some people wear a piece of green clothing, there is no harm in this at all. Even in my classes with young girls, a number of them arrive wearing green scarves or green shawls. I do not stop them from doing so. However, when this practice begins to take on the form of an unlawful innovation [bid‘ah], the Khalifa of the Time will himself stop it, insha-Allah.”

Witr, purity, Sha‘ban and menstruation A lady from Syria sent the following questions to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa): 1. If the witr prayer is offered before going to sleep, can one offer Tahajjud thereafter or not? 2. Is offering witr merely preferable or should it never be missed? 3. What is the method of attaining purity from major impurity or menstruation during severe cold? 4. Is it preferable to observe fasts in Sha‘ban or is it better not to fast in Sha‘ban in preparation for Ramadan? 5. Is it permissible to memorise the Holy Quran during menstruation?

AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026

Prophet (sa), he asked, ‘O Amr! Did you lead your companions in prayer while you were in a state of major impurity?’ He submitted the reason that prevented him from taking a bath and said, ‘I have heard ُ ُ َۡ ۤ ُ ۡ َ the saying ٰ of Allah the Exalted: �‫ََوَلَٰا �ِّق ُِتّٰلٰوۡا ا�َف ََّسُک َّۡم‬ ُ َ َ � � َ َ ‫“[ ِاَّن الّٰل ََہ �اَّن َِّبُک َّۡم ِر ِﺣ ۡۡی ًِّما‬And kill not yourselves. Surely, Allah is Merciful to you.” (Surah anNisa, Ch. 4: V. 30)]’ Hearing this, Allah’s Messenger (sa) smiled and said nothing. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab at-taharah, Bab idha khafa l-junubu l-barda a-yatayammamu)

What is the sunnah of fasting during the month of Sha‘ban?

In his letter dated 12 March 2024, Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa) provided the following answers to these questions:

Can one oﬀer Tahajjud if one has already prayed witr before sleeping? “It is permissible to offer witr in the first part of the night, after which Tahajjud can be offered in any part of the night upon waking up. Similarly, witr can also be offered after Tahajjud. Both methods are established by the ahadith. Accordingly, it is narrated by Hazrat Aisha (ra) that the Holy Prophet (sa) offered witr in every part of the night. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-witr, Bab sa‘ati l-witr) However, his general practice [sunnah] was to offer witr after having offered the Tahajjud prayer. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-witr, Bab ma ja’a fi l-witr) It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Qatadah (ra) that Allah’s Messenger (sa) asked Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) when he offered his witr prayer. He submitted, ‘In the early part of the night.’ Then the Holy Prophet (sa) asked Hazrat Umar (ra) when he offered his witr prayer, to which he submitted, ‘In the latter part of the night.’ Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that Abu Bakr adopted the path of precaution and Umar adopted the path of resolve and strength. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab as-salah, Bab fi l-witri qabla n-nawm) Similarly, it is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Holy Prophet (sa) strictly instructed him to ensure he offered witr before going to sleep. (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Kitab as-salah, Bab ma ja’a fi karahiyati n-nawmi qabla l-witr) “The Promised Messiah (as) generally offered witr in the early part of the night and would offer the Tahajjud prayer, consisting of eight units [rak‘at] in sets of two, in the latter part of the night. (Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. 1, Narration 320, 2008, p. 295)

What is the significance of the witr prayer? “In response to your second question regarding whether offering witr is merely preferable or if it should never be missed, the answer is that the witr prayer is not like an obligatory [fard] prayer, but great emphasis has been placed upon it in the ahadith. Accordingly, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that whoever does not offer witr has no connection with us. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab as-salah, Bab fi man lam yutir) Furthermore, expressing the importance and excellence of this prayer, the Holy

Prophet (sa) stated that Allah the Exalted has granted you a prayer which is better for you than red camels and that is the witr prayer, the time for which extends from after Isha until the break of dawn. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab as-salah, Bab istihbabi l-witr) “Thus, the status of the witr prayer is higher than that of sunnah prayers because in the event of combining prayers or during a state of travel, sunnah prayers are waived but witr is not waived. Accordingly, the Holy Prophet (sa) offered the witr prayer even in these states. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-witr, Bab al-witri fi s-safar) “Elevating the witr prayer above sunnah and voluntary prayers [nawafil], Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states: “‘In all the works of Allah the Exalted, odd numbers have been kept in view. Thus, out of the five daily prayers, the units [rak‘at] of one obligatory [fard] prayer were made three so that the law of Allah the Exalted concerning odd numbers is reflected in the prayers as well. Similarly, the witr prayer has been made odd so that the voluntary prayers [nawafil] also become odd and it is for this reason that witr has been given greater weight than ordinary sunnah prayers, ensuring that a Muslim definitely offers them and their voluntary prayers become odd. This is the very reason why no voluntary prayer other than witr is an odd number, lest two odd numbers combine to form an even number.’ (Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 20, Friday sermon delivered on 17 March 1939, p. 171)

How should one attain purity (ghusl) in extreme cold without warm water? “The answer to your third question, regarding the method of attaining purity from major impurity or menstruation during severe cold, is that even in the cold, the method of attaining purity from major impurity [janabah] and menstruation is full ablution [ghusl]. However, if warm water is unavailable and there is a risk of falling ill if one bathes with cold water, dry ablution [tayammum] may be performed. After this, one can perform standard ablution [wudu] and offer their prayers. Accordingly, Hazrat Amr bin al-Aas (ra) narrates that during the Battle of Dhat as-Salasil, on a very cold night, he had a wet dream. He feared that if he bathed, he might perish. Therefore, he performed dry ablution and then led his companions in the Fajr prayer. Later, when the companions mentioned this to the Holy

“Regarding your question about observing fasts in the month of Sha‘ban, the answer is that the practice of the Holy Prophet (sa) concerning the fasts of this month was that he would fast very abundantly during it. Accordingly, Hazrat Aisha (ra) narrates that Allah’s Messenger (sa) would sometimes observe voluntary fasts to such an extent that they felt he would not stop fasting and when he ceased fasting, they felt he would not fast at all. She said that she never saw Allah’s Messenger (sa) fast for a complete month other than Ramadan and that she never saw him fast more in any month than the fasts he observed in Sha‘ban. (Sahih alBukhari, Kitab as-sawm, Bab sawmi sha‘ban) Yet alongside this, the Holy Prophet (sa) also instructed his followers not to observe voluntary fasts after half of Sha‘ban had passed. (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Kitab as-siyam, Bab fi karahiyati s-sawmi fi n-nisfi th-thani min sha‘bana li-hali ramadan) “The reason written by scholars and jurists for the prohibition of fasting after the middle of Sha‘ban is so that the obligatory fasts of Ramadan are not adversely affected by observing these voluntary fasts. However, if a person possesses the strength and is certain that their Ramadan fasts will not be affected by the fasts of Sha‘ban or if they have some remaining fasts from Ramadan that they are making up or if they regularly fast on certain days of every month, such a person can observe those fasts in Sha‘ban as well. However, the Holy Prophet (sa) strictly forbade fasting one or two days before the start of Ramadan with the intention of welcoming it. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab assawm, Bab la yataqaddamu ramadana bi sawmi yawmin wa la yawmayn)

Can a woman memorise the Holy Quran (hifz) during menstruation? “The answer to your next question regarding whether it is permissible to memorise the Holy Quran during menstruation is that just as a woman is exempt from other acts of worship during these specific days, she is likewise exempt from recitation performed as an act of formal worship. However, if a woman is memorising the Holy Quran or has been assigned the duty of teaching the Quran to someone, then in such a situation there is no harm if she reads or teaches the Quran so that she may revise her memorisation to retain it or teach the Quran to others to fulfil her duty.”

Is ‘Quba’ mentioned in the Holy Quran? A lady from Egypt wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), mentioning a dream of hers and asking whether there is any Surah in the Holy Quran named “Quba” or any verse wherein “Quba” is mentioned. In his letter dated 25 March 2024, Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa) provided the following answer to this question. Huzoor (aa) stated: “To my knowledge, there is no Surah in the Holy Quran named ‘Quba’, nor has this word been directly mentioned in any verse. However, two viewpoints are found in the exegeses [tafasir] regarding the following verse of the Holy Quran:

َُ َ ُ َ ۡ َ� َ ُ ََ �‫ل َ َِّم َّۡس ِﺠ ٌِّد ا � ُِس َﺲ ََعٰلی الِتِّق ٰٰوي َِم ِۡن ا �َو ِل ْیَٰوۡ ٍم ا َﺣ �ِق ا َّۡنَ �ِّقٰوۡ َم َفِ ۡۡی ُِہ‬ ٰ َ � َ ُ َ َ ُ ٌ َ ۡ � ۡ ‫َفِۡی ُِہ ِرَِج‬ ‫ال �ْی ِٰح �َُبٰوۡ ََّن ا َّۡن �ْی َِتﻄ �ْھﺮُ َۡوا � ََوالّٰل َُہ ْیُ ِٰح �ﺐ ال ُِّمﻄ �ِْھﺮِْیۡ َِن‬

“‘A mosque which was founded upon piety from the [very first] day is surely more worthy that thou shouldst stand [to pray] therein. In it are men who love to become purified, and Allah loves those who purify themselves.’ (Surah at-Tawbah, Ch. 9: V. 108) “One is that it refers to the Prophet’s Mosque and the second is that it refers to the Mosque of Quba.” (Ahkam al-Quran by Ibn Arabi, under the commentary of Surah at-Taubah: 108) (Submitted by Ehsan Ahmad, Murabbie-Silsilah, Private Secretariat, Islamabad and translated by Al Hakam)

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Tabarruk and the risk of shirk: What the Promised Messiah actually said

Iftekhar Ahmed Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre

Bodily relics and shirk Can the preservation or historical display of a bodily relic lead to shirk? Hair, for example, once formed part of the body, whereas a garment or book only belonged to its owner. Does this closer physical connection make its preservation more liable to shirk? At first sight, the words and actions of the Promised Messiah (as) might appear to support this concern. In an answer concerning postcards bearing his photograph, he warned that a practice could “lead to shirk” (munjarr bishirk).1 On another occasion, red drops appeared upon a kurta worn by the Promised Messiah (as) during a vision in which he saw divine decrees being signed with a pen dipped in red ink. Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) regarded the kurta as blessed and asked to preserve it. The Promised Messiah (as) granted the request only after Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) undertook to have the kurta buried with him, since people might otherwise worship the garment or turn it into an object of visitation.2 Relics can undoubtedly be misused, as can images, graves and places associated with holy persons. But did the Promised Messiah (as) prohibit the preservation and viewing of bodily relics? Did he regard their bodily origin as a separate danger? And did the condition attached to the kurta of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) establish a general command to conceal or bury relics?

What it means to “lead to shirk” The Arabic word for blessing is barakah. Ar-Raghib alIsfahani explains it as thubut al-khayr al-ilahi fi sh-shay’, “the establishment of divine good in a thing”.3 Accordingly, seeking blessing (tabarruk) means talab thubut al-khayr alilahi fi sh-shay’, “seeking the establishment of divine good in a thing”.4 A believer who legitimately seeks blessing through an object holds that Allah has placed a particular good in something He created and seeks that good from Him. He does not attribute independent power to the object. Shirk means attributing to another what belongs to Allah. When Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (ra) asked the Messenger (sa) of Allah which sin was greatest before

Allah, he replied, “That you set up a rival to Allah although He created you.”5 In another narration, the Messenger (sa) replied, “That you call upon a rival alongside Allah although He created you.”6 Calling upon a rival alongside Allah is an act of worship (‘ibadah), for the Messenger (sa) said, “Supplication is worship.”7 Worship directed to a created rival is shirk. To say that an act may lead to shirk is therefore to say that respect or tabarruk may be turned into worship of the object. Whether respect or tabarruk is being turned into worship depends upon the use made of the object. Hair, cloth and paper do not acquire such a tendency merely by existing. The intensity of an emotion does not by itself determine whether an act is worship. A Muslim may handle a copy of the Noble Quran with far greater care than an ordinary book, preserve a letter written by someone he loves or stand out of respect when an elder enters. None of these actions gives the book, letter or person a share in the divinity of Allah. Conversely, a quiet request addressed to an absent person, made in the belief that he independently controls the unseen, would remain objectionable even if made without ceremony. What matters is the religious meaning of the act and the belief expressed through it. Intention matters without settling every case. A person may profess an innocent intention while performing an act which has acquired an unmistakably devotional meaning. The possibility of later misuse does not make every present use impermissible. Otherwise, every grave, religious image and historical possession would have to be destroyed because almost anything can be misused through ignorance or excess. To say that a practice leads to shirk requires some reason to expect that people will invoke the object, seek powers from it, turn it into an object of devotion or gather around it in a manner resembling worship. Without such a connection, the phrase ceases to describe a tendency and becomes a suspicion which can be directed against every form of religious remembrance.

The postcards that were burnt The expression “leading to shirk” (munjarr bi-shirk) occurs in an answer written by the Promised Messiah (as) in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V. He had been asked how the severe warnings in the Hadith concerning images could

be reconciled with the publication of his own photograph. His answer reads: “I am strongly opposed to anyone taking my photograph and keeping it, or publishing it, in the manner of idolaters. I have never instructed anyone to do so, and no one can be a greater enemy of idolatry and image-worship than I. I have observed, however, that Europeans who wish to examine an author’s work first desire to see his portrait […]. For this purpose and within this limit, I have deemed it expedient to remain silent about the practice. ‘Actions are only by intentions.’ Nor is it my view that the prohibition of images is absolute. […] Islam has forbidden all futile acts and those which lend support to shirk, not acts which advance human knowledge […]. Even so, I do not at all approve of members of my Community, without compelling necessity, making the general dissemination of my photograph their trade or occupation, because this is how innovations gradually arise and reach shirk. […] I have seen cards belonging to some gentlemen with my image along the edge on the reverse. I strongly oppose such dissemination. […] To act for a sound and useful purpose is one thing. To behave like the Hindus who put images of their elders here and there on doors and walls is another. It has invariably been seen that such futile practices lead to shirk and produce grave evils.”8 The words “leading to shirk” (munjarr bi-shirk) describe a possible consequence of the practices which the Promised Messiah (as) proceeds to identify: publishing his portrait indiscriminately and without necessity, placing it on personal cards, making its general distribution a trade and imitating the custom of placing portraits of religious elders throughout the home. He expressly distinguishes all of this from photography employed for a sound and useful purpose. Although the Promised Messiah (as) cites intention, he also considers necessity, benefit, public circulation, commercial use, existing habits of image veneration and the gradual creation of innovations. His distinction between the useful act and the futile one rests upon all these considerations, but he never suggests that an intention detached from the outward form and consequence of the practice can settle the question. The Promised Messiah (as) permitted the photograph for a missionary purpose and condemned its use in a form associated with religious veneration. The physical image

AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026 was the same in each case. If its mere existence or sight had constituted the danger, a useful purpose would have altered nothing. His answer turns upon the manner and purpose of the photograph’s use. In 1906, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) addressed the allegation that Ahmadis kept the photograph of the Promised Messiah (as) in order to worship it. Huzoor (ra) replied that anyone who worshipped the portrait would certainly commit shirk. He then related that cards bearing the photograph had once reached Qadian and that the Promised Messiah (as) had ordered them to be burnt.9 Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) had made the same distinction two years earlier. An Ahmadi asked whether he might purchase the photograph for daily ziyarah and tabarruk. Huzoor (ra) rejected the proposal as a futile innovation. The photograph had been taken to meet a particular missionary need, and those who could see the Promised Messiah (as) himself had no need of his photograph.10 The condemned practice was the one proposed in the question: repeated devotional viewing as ziyarah and tabarruk. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) later advised that the photograph should not be displayed permanently or conspicuously in a manner which might create false ideas of veneration, while allowing it to be shown occasionally for recognition or in connection with a religious and historical subject.11 This is precisely the distinction made by the Promised Messiah (as). A useful and defined purpose is permitted, while a manner of display liable to foster devotional treatment is prohibited. The words munjarr bi-shirk apply here to the indiscriminate circulation of cards bearing the photograph, since such circulation might foster religious veneration. A historical display of a bodily relic would fall under the same warning only if its manner of display created a comparable danger.

The kurta that was to be buried The kurta of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) is more directly relevant because it was itself a relic. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) recorded the principal account as report number 100 in Sirat al-Mahdi, on the authority of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra). Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) related the incident in the first person and believed that it had occurred in 1884.12 At the beginning of Sirat al-Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) warned that he could not guarantee the exact wording of every report: “I do not claim the accuracy of the words of the reports, nor can I undertake verbatim transmission in the full sense.”13 This caution does not deprive the account of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) of its historical value, but it does mean that a sentence remembered years later cannot be cited as a verbatim ruling published by the Promised Messiah (as). Before asking for the garment, Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) raised the general question: “I then felt a desire to take this kurta as a blessed relic. Fearing that Huzoor (as) might refuse immediately, I first asked, ‘Is it permissible to take and preserve a blessed garment or other relic of a holy person?’ He replied, ‘Yes, it is permissible. The Companions preserved the relics of the Messenger (sa) of Allah.’ […] When I asked for this kurta, he declined and explained, ‘I do not give this kurta because, after you and I have died, shirk will spread through it. People will worship it and turn it into an object of visitation.’ […] He added that Companions who possessed relics of the Messenger (sa) of Allah left instructions that they be buried with their shrouds. When I undertook to have the kurta buried with my own shroud, he replied, ‘Yes, if you make this undertaking, then take it.’”14 Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) relates that the Promised Messiah (as) answered the general question by permitting the preservation of a garment or another relic of a holy person, since the Companions had preserved relics of the Messenger (sa) of Allah. The Promised Messiah (as) then imposed a condition upon this particular kurta because of what he foresaw would happen to it. Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) could keep it if he ensured that, after his death, nobody could worship it or make it an object of visitation.

Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) further relates that two or three guests later asked the Promised Messiah (as) for the kurta so that they might divide it among themselves. The Promised Messiah (as) permitted them to take it without requiring the undertaking made by Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra). When Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) pointed out that the garment had already been given to him, the Promised Messiah (as) smiled and left the decision to Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra).15 The same report which records the burial undertaking given by Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) also records that the Promised Messiah (as) subsequently permitted others to take portions of the kurta without imposing that undertaking upon them. Such an account cannot support a universal rule requiring every relic to be buried. Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) also explains that he initially refrained from showing the kurta because he remembered the warning that it should not become an object of ziyarah. However, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) later explicitly instructed him to show it frequently so that a large number of people could bear witness to having seen it. Henceforth, Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) would show it to anyone who asked to see it.16 This instruction did not contradict the previous warning, since showing the kurta established its identity, whereas the warning concerned people worshipping the garment or making it an object of visitation. Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) fulfilled the undertaking he had given. In his account of the funeral on 7 October 1927, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) recorded that the kurta was placed upon the body of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) and buried with him. Those present saw the garment upon his body while they awaited the funeral prayer. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) directed the men who had dressed the body to publish sworn testimony so that nobody could later introduce a counterfeit kurta.17 In 1945, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) recalled that thousands of Ahmadis had seen the garment before it was placed in the shroud of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra).18 The burial fulfilled a personal undertaking given in response to a danger foreseen for this kurta. It did not revoke the permission to preserve relics or prevent the garment from being shown. To cite only the burial is to leave most of the account unread. Even the recollection that certain Companions had their relics placed in their shrouds does not establish that all Prophetic relics were treated in this manner. The undertaking of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanori (ra) tells us what was to happen to this kurta. It does not tell every Muslim in every age what must happen to every relic.

collected the perspiration of the Messenger (sa) of Allah in bottles. When the Messenger (sa) asked what she was doing, she replied, “We seek its blessing for our children.” He answered: “You did well.”25 At Hudaybiyyah, Urwah bin Mas‘ud (ra), who had not yet accepted Islam and was then negotiating on behalf of Quraysh, watched the Companions catch the saliva of the Messenger (sa) of Allah in their hands and rub it upon their faces and skin, contend with one another for his ablution water, lower their voices before him and avoid staring at him “out of reverence for him” (ta‘ziman lahu). Urwah bin Mas‘ud (ra) then told the Quraysh that he had never seen any king honoured by his people as Muhammad (sa) was honoured by his Companions.26 The Companions thus combined physical tabarruk with intense reverence without treating either as worship. Even ordinary possessions were preserved because of their connection with the Messenger (sa) of Allah. Sahl bin Sa‘d (ra) brought out the cup from which the Messenger (sa) had drunk, allowed later visitors to drink from it and eventually gave it to Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (rh).27 Anas (ra) kept another cup whose crack had been repaired with silver, and Asim bin Sulayman later saw it and drank from it.28 Ibn Hajar explains that al-Bukhari included these reports under his chapter on drinking from the cup of the Messenger (sa) of Allah for tabarruk.29 The Companions and those who came after them preserved, repaired, used and passed on these cups because they had belonged to him. Burial was another accepted use. When a daughter of the Messenger (sa) of Allah had been washed for burial, he sent his own waist-wrapper and instructed the women: “Place it next to her body.”30 An-Nawawi explains that the garment was placed against her body so that she might receive blessing through it.31 A relic could be buried with a person for tabarruk, while other relics could be retained and passed on. Burial did not signify that the garment itself was dangerous. The purpose of the burial depended upon the circumstances in which it was chosen. Nothing in these Prophetic reports supports a prohibition peculiar to bodily relics. The Messenger (sa) of Allah ordered his hair to be distributed. His family and Companions preserved his hair, cloak, perspiration and drinking vessels. They also sought blessing through his ablution water and saliva without attributing independent power to any of these relics. If bodily hair were inherently more liable to shirk than a garment, the clearest precedent in the Hadith would be the first thing requiring explanation. Instead, it is among the clearest precedents for tabarruk.

What the Companions did with prophetic relics

What the Jamaat has preserved and why

Hair provides an especially instructive example of a bodily relic. During the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Messenger (sa) of Allah had his head shaved, gave his hair to Abu Talha (ra) and instructed him: “Distribute it among the people.”19 The renowned scholar an-Nawawi cited this narration in his famous hadith commentary as authority for preserving the hair of the Messenger (sa) of Allah and seeking blessing through it.20 This practice continued after his death. Al-Bukhari records in his Sahih that Umm Salamah (ra), the mother of the believers, kept hairs of the Messenger (sa) of Allah in a small container and that, when a person suffered from an ailment, a vessel was sent to her.21 Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani explains that she placed the hairs in water and washed them in it, after which the water was used by the sick person in the hope of recovery.22 Asma bint Abi Bakr (ra), the older half-sister of Hazrat Aisha (ra), acted in the same way with a cloak. She explained that the cloak had belonged to Hazrat Aisha (ra) until her death and that the Messenger (sa) of Allah had worn it. Asma (ra) then said: “We wash it for the sick, seeking healing through it.”23 An-Nawawi understood this hadith to establish the desirability of seeking blessing through the traces and garments of the righteous.24 Umm Sulaym (ra), the mother of Anas bin Malik (ra),

The Promised Messiah (as) also described the blessing placed in the belongings of a perfected servant. In A’inae-Kamalat-e-Islam, while refuting the Christian claim that extraordinary divine favour makes a human being God or the son of God, he explained how Allah blesses His perfected servant: “And just as He makes the person himself blessed, so does He place blessing in his words and deeds, his movements and rests, his food and clothing, his place and time, and all that belongs to him. Then everything that touches him becomes blessed, even without his offering a prayer for it.”32 The subject of the sentence is Allah, who places blessing in the perfected servant and in things connected with that servant. The blessing remains His gift to created things and cannot be reduced to the affection felt for a holy person. The clothing, surroundings and other belongings of a person close to Allah may therefore be blessed while remaining entirely dependent upon Him. On 4 July 1903, the Promised Messiah (as) was asked about amulets and healing prayers. He asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) whether the hadith provided authority for either practice. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) cited the reports concerning the hair of the Messenger (sa) of Allah, its distribution among the Companions, the washing of his cloak for the sick and the collection of his perspiration. Having heard these reports, the Promised Messiah (as) stated:

Friday 4 September 2026 | AL HAKAM

“There is certainly something in this which is not devoid of benefit, and the basis of amulets and the like also emerges from it. What difference is there between suspending a hair and tying an amulet? My revelation says that kings will seek blessings from your garments. There must, after all, be something there for them to seek blessing from. However, in all these matters the demands of love also have a part.”33 The Promised Messiah (as) accepted that there was a benefit in the practices described in the Hadith, compared the suspension of a hair with the tying of an amulet and added that love also played a part. In 1939, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) was asked how this very statement accorded with opposition to amulets. Huzoor (ra) answered: “This is not an amulet. Tabarruk is one thing and an amulet another. Tabarruk is appointed by Allah, while an amulet is devised by a servant.”34 In his autobiography, Hazrat Maulvi Ghulam Rasul Rajeki (ra), a Companion of the Promised Messiah (as), listed “a silk handkerchief, a prayer mat and hairs of the Promised Messiah (as)” among the tabarrukat he had preserved and lamented that these objects were later lost.35 In a Friday sermon delivered in 1944, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) addressed the fear that ignorant people might begin to petition graves. He condemned taking soil from the grave of the Promised Messiah (as), placing flowers there and asking the deceased for favours.36 He nevertheless stated, “We cannot abandon a good because of another person’s wrongdoing”, and explained that surrendering something beneficial merely because ideas of shirk might spread “is not wisdom”.37 He then cited the revelation that kings would seek blessing from the garments of the Promised Messiah (as) and stated that Allah places blessings in things connected with the bodies of prophets.38

The Jamaat subsequently began to collect and preserve the relics of the Promised Messiah (as). In 1962, during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra), a committee was established for a historical museum and the preparation of a register of the relics. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) publicly asked members to assist, mentioned garments foremost among the objects sought and stressed that every object had to be accompanied by a correct and verifiable account of its history.39 The committee asked owners to state what they possessed, how it had reached them, what witnesses or documents established its identity and whether they were willing to lend or give the object to the Jamaat. It also made clear that nothing would be taken without their consent.40 The committee therefore sought authenticated relics of established provenance for preservation and display in a historical museum. Their owners were free to lend or donate them. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) later referred to Jamaat museums in different countries which display relics of the Promised Messiah (as) as part of the history of the Community.41 He also explained that the Jamaat library certifies privately held relics after examining their provenance.42 In both cases, the Jamaat required an object’s identity to be established before it was preserved or displayed. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) explained that the family custodians of a green coat of the Promised Messiah (as) initially lent it for use during the international bay‘ah and later presented it to Khilafat.43 On 3 July 2026, Huzoor (aa) also narrated that requests for the garments of the Promised Messiah (as) as tabarruk had sometimes been so frequent that the Promised Messiah (as) would give away the garment he was wearing and another had to be made

for him.44 In a letter dated 27 August 2023, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) answered how tabarruk works and when it may fall into shirk. Huzoor (aa) explained that Allah is the source of all blessing and goodness. He makes His prophets and chosen servants blessed and creates means of blessing in the things associated with them.45 Huzoor (aa) then referred to the ring of the Promised Messiah (as) and stated his conviction that Allah had placed blessing in the ring and in other belongings of the Promised Messiah (as). When people ask for prayers, Huzoor (aa) sometimes gives them an object as tabarruk or touches them for the sake of blessing. He touches the person or object with the ring while praying. Huzoor (aa) does not do this for everyone. He acts when Allah places the thought in his heart, although at times he also responds to an insistent request. Huzoor (aa) concluded: “So, my intention is not of any kind of shirk, nor should it be the intention of the one taking the tabarruk.”46 A bodily relic may be displayed for historical viewing without touching, supplication or any other devotional conduct. Such a display does not reproduce the practice against which the Promised Messiah (as) warned. The postcard passage concerns indiscriminate circulation and devotional use. The kurta account begins with express permission to preserve relics and attaches the burial undertaking to a danger foreseen for that garment. The Prophetic precedent expressly includes hair: the Messenger (sa) of Allah ordered his own hair to be distributed, and the Promised Messiah (as) accepted that precedent when discussing tabarruk. The warning of the Promised Messiah (as) against shirk must be observed. It must not be enlarged into a prohibition of what he expressly allowed.

Endnotes Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V, in Ruhani Khazain (Farnham: Islam International Publications, 2021), Vol. 21, pp. 366-367. 2 Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), comp., Sirat al-Mahdi, collected ed. (Qadian: Nazarat Nashr-o-Isha‘at, 2008), Vol. 1, Part I, report no. 100, pp. 72-77, especially pp. 75-77. 3 Ar-Raghib al-Isfahani, Al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Quran, ed. Safwan ‘Adnan ad-Dawudi, 1st ed. (Damascus and Beirut: Dar al-Qalam and Ad-Dar ash-Shamiyyah, 1412 AH), p. 119. 4 Al-Mawsu‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaytiyyah, issued by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Kuwait, 2nd ed. (Kuwait: Dhat as-Salasil, 1407 AH/1987), Vol. 10, p. 69. 5 Muslim bin al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, ed. Muhammad Fu’ad ‘Abd al-Baqi (Cairo: ‘Isa al-Babi al-Halabi wa-Shurakah, 1374 AH/1955), Vol. 1, pp. 90-91, hadith 86. 6 Ibid. 7 Abu Dawud Sulayman bin al-Ash‘ath, Sunan Abi Dawud, ed. Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut and Muhammad Kamil Qarah Balali, 1st ed. (Damascus: Dar ar-Risalah al-‘Alamiyyah, 1430 AH/2009), hadith 1479. 8 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V, in Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 21, pp. 366-367. 9 Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Noor-ud-Deen (ra), ‘Removal of a Misunderstanding Concerning Mirza Sahib’s Photograph’, Al Hakam, Qadian, Vol. 10, No. 24, 10 July 1906, p. 9. Reproduced in Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Noor-ud-Deen (ra), Irshadat-e-Noor, comp. Nazarat Isha‘at, Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya Pakistan (Rabwah: Nazarat Isha‘at, Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya Pakistan, n.d.), Vol. 1, p. 309. 10 Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Noor-ud-Deen (ra), answer published in Al Hakam, Qadian, Vol. 8, No. 40, 24 November 1904, p. 13. 11 Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh), Majlis-e-‘Irfan, 11 May 1994, published in Daily Al Fazl, Rabwah, 16 April 2003. Republished in Al Fazl International, London, 23 February 2018, under ‘Taswir banana’. 12 Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), comp., Sirat al-Mahdi, Vol. 1, Part I, report no. 100, pp. 72-77. 13 Ibid., compiler’s methodological notice, p. 2. 1

14 15 16 17

Ibid., report no. 100, pp. 75-77. Ibid., pp. 76-77. Ibid., p. 77. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), comp., Sirat al-Mahdi, Vol. 1, Part II, report no. 439, pp. 396-398. 18 Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), ‘Hamari Masjid Mubarak’, Al Fazl, Qadian, 26 March 1945. Reproduced in Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), Mazameen-e-Bashir, comp. Mirza ‘Adil Ahmad, 1st ed. (Rabwah: Majlis Ansarullah Pakistan, 2007), Vol. 1, p. 631. 19 Muslim bin al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, p. 948, hadith 1305. 20 Yahya bin Sharaf an-Nawawi, Al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim b. alHajjaj, 2nd ed. (Beirut: Dar Ihya’ at-Turath al-‘Arabi, 1392 AH), Vol. 9, p. 54. 21 Muhammad bin Isma‘il al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, ed. Mustafa Dib al-Bugha, 5th ed. (Damascus: Dar Ibn Kathir and Dar alYamamah, 1414 AH/1993), Vol. 5, p. 2210, hadith 5557. 22 Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari bi-Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith numbering by Muhammad Fu’ad ‘Abd al-Baqi, prepared by Muhibb ad-Din al-Khatib, 1st ed. (Cairo: Al-Maktabah as-Salafiyyah, 1380-1390 AH), Vol. 10, pp. 352-353. 23 Muslim bin al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, Vol. 3, p. 1641, hadith 2069. 24 An-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, Vol. 14, p. 44. 25 Muslim bin al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, pp. 1815-1816, hadith 2331. 26 Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 2, p. 974, hadith 2581. 27 Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 5, pp. 2134-2135, hadith 5314. 28 Ibid., Vol. 5, pp. 2134-2135, hadith 5315, and Vol. 3, pp. 1131-1132, hadith 2942. 29 Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, Vol. 10, p. 99. 30 Muslim bin al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, pp. 646-647, hadith 939. 31 An-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, Vol. 7, p. 3. 32 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, in Ruhani Khazain (Farnham: Islam International Publications, 2021), Vol. 5, pp. 67-70, especially p. 69. 33 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat, rev. ed. (Farnham: Islam International Publications, 2022), Vol. 5, pp. 189-190. Orig-

inally reported in Al Badr, Qadian, Vol. 2, No. 26, 17 July 1903, p. 201. 34 Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (ra), answer published in Daily Al Fazl, Qadian, 11 November 1939, p. 3. 35 Hazrat Maulvi Ghulam Rasul Rajeki (ra), Hayat-e-Qudsi ma‘a Barakat-e-Ahmadiyya, Part I (Hyderabad Deccan: Rafiq Machine Press, 1951), pp. 79-81, especially p. 80. 36 Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (ra), ‘Chand Nihayat Hi Aham Batein’, Friday sermon delivered 10 March 1944, in Khutbat-e-Mahmud (Rabwah: Fazl-e-Umar Foundation, n.d.), Vol. 25, pp. 178-187, especially pp. 179-182. 37 Ibid., pp. 182-184. 38 Ibid., pp. 184-186. 39 Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), opening address to the Majlis Ansarullah annual gathering, 26 October 1962, in Mazameen-eBashir, 1st ed. (Rabwah: Majlis Ansarullah Pakistan, [2015]), Vol. 4, pp. 423-427, especially p. 425. 40 Dost Muhammad Shahid, comp., Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat (Qadian: Nazarat Nashr-o-Isha‘at, [2011]), Vol. 21, pp. 527-530, especially pp. 528-530. Compare the contemporary committee notice in Al Fazl, Rabwah, No. 245, 23 October 1962, p. 4. 41 Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh), Majlis-e-‘Irfan, 12 May 2000. 42 Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh), Majlis-e-‘Irfan, 9 August 2002. 43 Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aa), ‘Huquq Allah ke Sath Huquq al-‘Ibad’, Friday sermon delivered 10 August 2007, published in Al Fazl International, London, 31 August-6 September 2007, pp. 5-8. 44 Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aa), Friday sermon delivered 3 July 2026 at Masjid Mubarak, Islamabad, Tilford, Surrey, published in Al Fazl International, 22 July 2026. The underlying report appears in Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), comp., Sirat al-Mahdi, Vol. 1, Part II, report no. 447, p. 416. 45 ‘Answers to Everyday Issues, Part 96: Tabarruk, Satan, angels, Eid al-Adha rituals and reciting the names of Surahs, ta‘awwuz and basmalah’, Al Hakam, 26 November 2025, under ‘What is “tabarruk”? How are blessings understood to be transmitted and why isn’t it considered “shirk”?’, English translation by Al Hakam, reproducing a letter of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aa) dated 27 August 2023. 46 Ibid.

AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026

ago...

100 years

Islam Ahmadiyyat in the East and West Indies (1926) Ahmadiyyat in the East Indies Maulvi Rahmat Ali [ra] writes: The ulema are bitterly opposing our movement here. They are trying to keep the people away from us by all sorts of means. Some of them reported us to the Government, saying that we believed in a bloody Mahdi who proclaims a holy war against the ‘infidels’. I had to send a telegram to contradict this misrepresentation of our Jamaat. We have started a monthly paper from here in Malaya, the vernacular of the people, and we are thinking of making it a weekly if it proves a success. The ulema are issuing fatwa after fatwa against us and people abuse me openly. Some of the nobles are favourably disposed towards us and they are beginning to defend our Jamaat against the Maulvis. Kindly send me some books in English. The number of new converts to our faith by this time is 200 by the grace of God.

Ahmadiyyat in the West Indies Our brother Mr William R Barker, like Mr Arthur Plant of Manchester, is a very zealous Ahmadi. He preaches the Truth [i.e. Islam Ahmadiyyat] during his travels and distributes our literature wherever he goes. Recently he went to Jamaica, about which he writes: Last month our vessel was at Port Royal, Jamaica, British West Indies, a beautiful island with 700,000 population, nearly all black and Christian. Immorality is somewhat rife in the island; about one-third of the blacks have a mixture of white blood and illegitimacy is steadily on the increase. At Port Royal, Jamaica, there is an old church which held its 200th anniversary, at which eight Bishops of the English Church officiated, including an Archbishop. I could not help noticing the contrast between them and a coloured girl who was collecting money to pay the expenses of the services. She was the illegitimate daughter of a white father, her mother before her being the illegitimate offspring of a white man. This was after nearly 400 years of Christianity in Jamaica. All must be well with the Church. All must be well with the blacks. An Ahmadiyya mission in Jamaica would be a blessing to the people, teaching them to take pride in themselves, their race and their faith, which Christianity apparently fails to do in actual practice. I believe such a mission would be a success. I spoke to several and distributed literature.

Lunar influences The Theosophical Path of August 1926

publishes an interesting article on “More unexplained lunar influences”, written by Mr CJ Ryan. He says: “In discussing the alleged influence of the moon upon animal and vegetable life, Dr H Munro Fox of the Cairo School of Medicine, Egypt, gives some remarkable data about the habits of a sea-urchin (Echinus) found in the Red Sea, which definitely establish the accuracy of one very ancient belief ridiculed by modern materialism in the mysterious influence of the moon upon reproduction. “In Southern Europe the sea-urchin is considered a great delicacy and its ways are naturally well known to the fishermen and their customers. It is a matter of common knowledge in Suez at the Red Sea end of the Canal that for a period about every new moon the contents of the sea-urchin’s shell are greatly shrunk and not worth eating, but as the moon increases in light a new crop of eggs begins to grow and just before full moon the empty spaces in the shell are filled with the roe and the creatures become the succulent morsels which have been so greatly esteemed by Southern epicures for thousands of years.” Miss Elizabeth S Semmens of the Liverpool University, England, “experimented with seeds and growing plants, and found that polarised light greatly stimulated their growth, so that the

reason for the ancient superstition of the growth of cucumbers increasing about the period when the moon gives its greatest light (polarised), has been established on reasonable grounds.”

The age-long failure The Christian quarterly Moslem World seems to be restlessly disturbed by the “agelong failure of the Christian Church” to obtain converts from Islam. Instead of honestly admitting the superior excellence of Islam, this paper always makes futile efforts in the vain hope of blinding the world to this stern fact. A short time ago it consoled itself by attributing this failure to an imaginary law of apostasy in Islam. Now it criticises the method of Christian preaching. It says the whole ménage has not been disclosed and that the approach until now was not Christian. We wonder why millions of pounds and lives have been wasted so far? Was it Islam that the Christian missionaries were preaching? What is most amusing is the suggested new formulation of the whole ménage: “a plain but full presentation of Jesus Christ as a personal and all-sufficient Saviour apart from any Islamic colouring or backing.”

We regret we can detect no improvement and are rather inclined to think that the poor missionaries themselves fail to understand Christianity. They are, however, not to be blamed for not understanding such things as are absolutely beyond human comprehension, i.e. the exclusive monopoly of the sonship, eternal damnation, atonement and the trinity. Surely, Jesus Christ would himself be ashamed of them!

In memory of Hazrat Dr Khalifa Rashid-ud-Din (ra) “See to it that his name be not forgotten.” We are deeply grieved to have to record the death of Dr Khalifa Rashid-ud-Din Sahib (ra), the blessed companion of the Promised Messiah (as), may they rest in peace, and the father-in-law of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra], Head of the Ahmadiyya Community. His was a life of love, service and devotion, and he was a sincere, steadfast and zealous believer. “His [was] the undiminished, undecaying gladness.” We offer our sincerest condolences to the whole family. (Transcribed and edited by Al Hakam from the original English, published in the September 1926 issue of The Review of Religions)

Friday 4 September 2026 | AL HAKAM

In memory of Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Lyallpuri Sahib Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Missionary-In-Charge Jamaat UK Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Sahib was a devout Ahmadi Muslim who migrated from Qadian to Rabwah after the partition and was among the first wave of Pakistani immigrants to arrive in the UK in 1961. Yet his heart always remained attached to his motherland. He was a fearless, courageous and strong-hearted man who was extremely bold in upholding his belief in Ahmadiyyat. He was also lovingly known as Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Lyallpuri. His father, Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain Sahib, moved from Qadian to Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) in Pakistan after the partition and then to Rabwah where all his children were educated and worked. He had an electrical business and was also in charge of the management of the lands of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra), as well as‌its electrical work and construction. Under the supervision of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh), he also managed and completed the construction work of the Degree College. He was also a judge (qazi) in the judiciary board. There are many inspiring stories about Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Sahib, one of which is that he was blessed with a dream in 1979 which foretold him that Dr Abdus Salam Sahib would be awarded the Nobel Prize for his ground-breaking work in science. The dream later came true and Dr Abdus Salam had Hameed Sahib to accompany him to the prize ceremony held in Stockholm, Sweden. I therefore feel greatly honoured and fortunate to have the opportunity to share some memories of this great friend of mine. Hameed Sahib was a man of great qualities. He was a man of great courage, dedication, commitment, sacrifice and much more. One of his outstanding qualities was his great love and respect for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and the Promised Messiah (as). He was very bold – a man who could not tolerate hearing anything against the Jamaat. If somebody ever criticised the Promised Messiah (as), the Khalifa or the Jamaat, Hameed Sahib was perhaps the first person to jump in and answer the allegation immediately. He had a great ability to explain something according to the level of understanding of the critic. If the critic was a scholar, Hameed Sahib knew exactly how to tackle them. He would conversely take them to such people who could explain the matter better than him. By the grace of Allah, he was wellversed in comparative religious studies and had great knowledge. He had read books, listened to countless speeches and learnt from the Khulafa. I witnessed this myself; I remember always seeing him attending the question-and-answer sessions led by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IV (rh).

from his lifetime of meeting other people. He had met my father as well, so sometimes he would share stories about my father and I would also do the same as I also knew and had met his father. In short, it was pleasant to travel with him. He would be very informal and we would both be quite relaxed in each other’s company. Sometimes I would ask Hameed Sahib to bring someone along who could sit by his side and keep him company whilst I would be sitting at the back reading, writing, preparing my notes or perhaps taking a rest.

Travelling to Spain

Travelling together Another one of his qualities which I personally experienced was his dedication to the service of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. During the 1980s, I often needed to attend various events across the UK such as meetings, debates and question-and-answer sessions. Many people accompanied me from time to time during these trips. In fact, I had a long list of people I could call upon for such purposes and who were ready to drive me to my destination. But one person I remember calling often was Hameed Sahib. Surprisingly, he was an untiring and energetic person. His health seemed to be good – he was quite strong and healthy. Many times, I would be busy in the office and would remember very late in the evening that I needed to travel the next morning to some distant place like Scotland, Huddersfield, Bradford or Manchester. I would get worried about who would accompany me and drive the car. At such times, the first name that came to mind would be Hameed Sahib. I would call him late and ask whether he was ready to accompany me the next morning. He would always say, “Yes, I am ready to go.” He never declined. Then the questions he would ask before leaving would be “When?” and I would say “Tomorrow morning.” He would say, “What time?” and I would calculate the time it would take me to get to his house in Langley and say something like “8 am” and he would say, “Okay.” His next typical question would be to ask me how many days we would be expected to be away. Once, I asked him why he asked such a question. He replied that he had to tell his family he would not be at home for that period and he needed to pack appropriate clothing for that number of days. He would never ask where we were going, what the occasion was or any other detail. I would be at his house at exactly the time I had given him. Upon arrival, I would see him walking along the pavement, already waiting for me and holding a small bag. The moment I arrived, I would get out

of the car and meet him, after which he would immediately put his luggage inside and take the driver’s seat. He would start the engine, then ask the most important question: “Where are we going?” I would tell him our destination. He would say that was fine and we would then start our journey. This was his classic style and something very special to me. He would not ask many questions – only the essential details. It was only during the course of our journey that he would ask about the type of occasion or meeting we were attending and I would explain accordingly. He was an expert driver; he knew the roads and routes very well. He had already seen or visited most of the Jamaat mosques and mission houses around the UK, so without any guidance from me, he would know exactly where to go and would reach the destination on time. He did this without making any mistakes, without asking anyone along the way and without needing to consult any road maps or atlas books. I would always carry the address of our destination with me just in case. He would never tire whilst driving or say that he was tired. He was quite ready to drive continuously if needed but I would ask him to have a short break every few hours. Only then would he stop at the service station. He was also a very careful driver; he knew all the road etiquette and we never experienced any incidents during any of our long journeys together. Hameed Sahib was a very capable person with a lot of energy, strength and endurance – he always knew what needed to be done. For example, if my car was being used, he would check the oil and petrol. If anything was needed, then he would immediately stop at the first service station and top things up. He would also take care of other mechanical parts such as the brakes. If there were any shortcomings, he would immediately get them sorted out. Throughout the journey, we would talk about many things such as politics, financial matters, domestic issues, world affairs or some of the queries and objections people sometimes raise about the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. Sometimes, he would relate stories

In 1988, we also went to Spain together when Abdul Sattar Sahib was the missionary there. We travelled around with a fourwheel-drive car and Hameed Sahib drove us to Malaga, Granada, Seville and Sierra Nevada. Towards the northern coast to Oviedo, we went to meet a family that had previously come to the UK to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh). There was also a lady there who had translated the Holy Quran beautifully from English to Spanish and back from Spanish to English. Huzoor (rh) has particularly said that such people are very good and should be preached to. We thought it better to go meet the family since they had been in contact. From there we went to Portugal.

Isle of Man We also went to the Isle of Man in 1987 where I had to deliver a lecture at a school. The school had invited us to give a lecture and since we had to travel by air from London to the Isle of Man, which was quite a distance away and expensive, I proposed that we could instead dedicate two days to teach the entire school about Islam by dividing the children into groups. I would then go to each classroom and in this way each person in the school got the message of Islam.

Tolerating opposition As I mentioned, Hameed Sahib could not tolerate the opposition or anyone speaking foul against the Jamaat. I remember that in 1973, the opposition to the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Pakistan was very troublesome. On one occasion, whilst I was sitting in my office, Hameed Sahib came in with a very strong-looking bag. He looked around to check if anyone was in the room with me and then locked the door from the inside and sat in front of me. It was clear from his manner that he wanted to say something very important and did not wish to be interrupted or disturbed. He was a man of great emotions and seemed very excited at that moment. He asked me whether anyone else was listening, to which I replied that we were completely by ourselves. He expressed how disturbed he felt about the situation of Ahmadis in Pakistan and the profanities that were being directed at the

AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026

Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Sahib with Dr Abdus Salam Sahib in Stockholm

Promised Messiah (as). He then asked me in confidence whether there was anyone who was outspoken in their opposition against the Jamaat whom I would want gone. I’m not sure why he was so excited at the time – he was so full of emotions that he was finding it difficult to sit still. Maybe it was a speech he had heard or people he may have met or some newspaper he’d read that had caused these emotions to build up. I asked him to sit down, drink some cold water and calm down. I then began telling him how forgiving the Holy Prophet (sa) was; despite being persecuted, he never took any such action or asked any of his followers to do so either. I also told him about the Promised Messiah (as) who advised patience in the face of persecution. The Promised Messiah (as) had never asked for the killing of anyone, as that matter was left entirely in the hands of Allah the Almighty. I gave the example of Lekh Ram who was very ardent in his opposition against the Promised Messiah (as). It was Allah alone Who arranged his downfall. There was no need for anyone to take any action whatsoever. I asked Hameed Sahib whether he believed the ultimate end would be the victory of Ahmadiyyat, to which he replied he was very sure it would be. I then asked if that was the case, then why was he so worried about the opposition? So, it took me at least one hour altogether to pacify him, cool him down, not be angry or take the law into his own hands. I explained how this was not our way and these ideas should be removed from his mind. I asked him to remain calm and steadfast and to just pray to Allah to do whatever He likes. Anyway, he drank the water and cooled down, and then immediately understood and agreed I was right, and confessed that he should not have become excited or even thought of such a thing. Hameed Sahib was a man who was prepared to stand up for the honour of the Jamaat and was ready to do everything, but he was also a very careful and understanding man, who could control his feelings when some advice was given to

him. It was a special meeting and I cannot forget that incident.

Durham University In 1983, I received a letter from Durham University, which is based in the north of the UK near Hartlepool. They were holding a religious gathering in which all the denominations of Islam were invited to speak on 40 questions they had prepared. They wanted answers from each denomination from their own religious perspectives. I was very happy as it was a great opportunity, so I immediately telephoned the programme’s director to thank him and accept the invitation. Although I was prepared to attend, I did not want to keep him in the dark about the strong opposition we faced as Ahmadi Muslims. I told him about the likely reaction from other Muslims when it came to listening to our views. I wanted him to know our background and asked him to discuss this matter with his colleagues and take some time to consider this, as it might result in an unpleasant situation. The next day, we spoke again on the telephone and the director confirmed that he had discussed the matter and that they were all still in agreement that we should attend the event as planned. He assured me that the event would run smoothly and that nothing unpleasant would happen. I replied that although it was unlikely to remain pleasant, as they were still ready to accommodate us, we would be ready to attend the event. After that, I began writing and preparing for the meeting with the missionaries’ help. Eventually, we typed a full document of all 40 questions and their answers. Several people accompanied me to Durham University, including Hameed Ahmad Sahib. Among the missionaries were Mubarak Saqi Sahib, who was serving with me at the time; Mohammad Issa Sahib, the then missionary in Huddersfield; Dr Hameed Ahmad Khan Sahib from Hartlepool, accompanied by his son and four or five others. I had asked the latter to come prepared in case any incident arose

because of the opposition that existed at the time. Altogether, our group consisted of around 12 people, if not more. The meeting started and all the representatives spoke one by one. Surprisingly, none of them actually tackled the actual questions. They just gave their points of view differently – touching here and there but not answering the questions one by one. Still, the turnout was quite good – people were listening and the hall was full with at least 300 people attending the event. But when it came to my turn, it was like a bombshell. I stood up; they introduced the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and then me as the next speaker, the Imam of the Fazl Mosque. So I started with Surah al-Fatihah and began my speech. There were many non-Ahmadi Muslims in the audience and they kept quiet at first; I had spoken about the teachings of Islam from the Holy Quran and the shining example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). They listened quietly up to that point. However, I then mentioned the Promised Messiah (as) at the end and explained our belief and how our Jamaat differs from others. I openly mentioned that we believe the Promised Messiah had come and that he was a subordinate Prophet after the Holy Prophet (sa) and not a lawbearing Prophet. At that moment, some of the audience started making noise. The organisers controlled the situation and told them to sit down. They also said that they would have the opportunity to ask questions later. Anyway, they listened restlessly. I completed my lecture – I was the only one who answered the questions properly. As soon as it was over, they asked if anyone would like to say something and all the mullahs started objecting and creating disorder. The organisers tackled this somehow and although the meeting had finally ended, it was just the beginning of the abuse. We continued talking to other people who came and gave their views. They began

quarrelling and using foul language along with the usual allegations. It was just like a vulgar marketplace. All of them surrounded me and the other members of our group. At that time, I remember how Hameed Sahib made sure nobody came too close to me. Hameed Sahib was unique in our group – apart from being a brave and bold person, he was also very well-built. This was helpful because it was a serious situation and some of them appeared ready to fight or even cause physical harm. There was one particular person who was very outspoken and he was just trying to find a way to jump on me and cause me some injury. This person was very excited and was about to jump on me to fight. At that moment, Hameed Sahib gently restrained the man and said to him, “You talk to me; I will explain this to you”. So, Hameed Sahib started a discussion with him and I don’t know what happened afterwards but he took that person away and dealt with him. I remember this incident very clearly. The people at Durham University were very surprised by the hostility shown against us during this event. Later, I reminded the professor that I had warned him this might happen, though he had never imagined the hostility we experienced.

Meeting in Manchester A similar incident to Durham happened in Manchester when we were invited by non-Ahmadi Muslims to attend one of their events. A person started abusing the Promised Messiah (as). I was trying to answer his questions calmly but the person was not ready to listen at all. I remember that Hameed Sahib was also there on that occasion. He took hold of this person and said to me, “Imam Sahib, you don’t know these people. They are different types of people. I know their type so I am taking him away and I will be explaining this matter to him in his language, so leave him to me.” So I started discussing with other people whilst Hameed Sahib took that person away. Later on, after the meeting had ended, I asked Hameed Sahib about the incident, to which he said, “I know their language, so when I replied to him in his language, then he was silenced.”

Hospital visit Once, Abdul Karim Sahib, one of our missionaries, became seriously ill. He was in hospital and I think he had a serious problem with his stomach and ultimately the doctors had to operate and take one part of the stomach out due to an infection. I went with Hameed Sahib to the hospital near Tooting in London to enquire about his health. I knew that his daughter had spoken to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) on the telephone and emotionally requested special prayers. Huzoor (rh) knew him personally and assured her that Allah the Almighty will give him health and life. Other people were also praying. On another occasion when we went to the hospital, Abdul Karim Sahib’s condition was very serious and he seemed to be on the brink of death. Both of us stood by his bedside and prayed; that is the best thing that one can do since we couldn’t help in any other way. Four or five minutes after

Friday 4 September 2026 | AL HAKAM

we arrived to see him, Hameed Sahib said he could not bear to see him like this and went outside. Hameed Sahib was a tenderhearted person as well – full of sentiment. I can’t recall the exact sentence he uttered as he left, but it was typical of his style. He said something like, “In three or four days, I’ll see his face.” What he meant was that upon observing his condition, he thought Abdul Karim Sahib would die in a few days and he would now see his face at the funeral. With that small sentence, he went out and said, “I can’t stay; it’s too much for me.” I stayed there and then left some while after. Sometime later, maybe one week or so afterwards, Abdul Karim Sahib came to the London Mosque to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh). I remember vividly that he was walking quite fragily with a stick. There was perhaps an event being held at the mosque at the time, so both Hameed Sahib and I were leaving Mahmood Hall and

Abdul Karim Sahib was just at the door and about to enter at the same time. Upon seeing him alive, walking and dressed in normal clothes, Hameed Sahib said one sentence in Punjabi that I still remember. He just looked towards me, face full of surprise and said, “Lagda koi vich peygea ey,” meaning, “It appears that somebody has intervened.” To me, that one sentence was something very great – a spontaneous expression meaning that somebody (i.e. Allah) has come in between him and death, as he was just on the brink of death. He immediately concluded that somebody had especially prayed for him, which is why Allah the Almighty had prolonged his life. That was something special and is something I can never forget. May Allah elevate his status in paradise. Amin!

Standing on the far right is Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Sahib

NEWS 11th annual ijtema held by Majlis Ansarullah Finland Tahir Ahmad Qaid Ishaat Majlis Ansarullah Finland Majlis Ansarullah Finland held its 11th annual ijtema on 22-23 August 2026 at the Noor Mosque, in the city of Vantaa, Finland. The first day of the ijtema began at 10 am, with the flag-hoisting ceremony. The opening session was presided over by Sadr Majlis Ansarullah Finland, Waqar Javed Sahib. The programme began with a

recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the Ansar Pledge, a poem and an address by Missionary-In-Charge, Shahid Mahmood Kahlon Sahib. Immediately following the opening session, the academic competitions commenced in the mosque. After the Zuhr and Asr prayers and lunch, the academic competitions continued. Later in the evening, a BBQ session was held. Maghrib

Quran Exhibition held in Wellington by Majlis Ansarullah New Zealand Asif Munir

Missionary, New Zealand Majlis Ansarullah New Zealand held a Quran Exhibition on 13 June 2026 in Wellington. The exhibition featured a display of the Holy Quran’s translations into various languages, including the Te Reo Maori translation, titled Kur’anu Tapu. In addition, informative pull-up banners were displayed throughout the venue, which highlighted key Quranic teachings on peace, justice, compassion, interfaith harmony and the relationship between religion and science. A book stall was also arranged, offering a variety of literature about Islam and the Holy Quran for visitors to browse and take home. The exhibition commenced with a silent prayer led by the National President of Jamaat New Zealand, Bashir Khan Sahib. Prior to the exhibition, flyers were distributed throughout the local community to invite members of the public to attend

and learn about the Holy Quran and the teachings of Islam. The visitors showed keen interest and engaged thoughtfully with the displays and discussions. Two informative seminars were also held for guests during the day. More than 30 guests attended the sessions and benefited from presentations and discussions about the Holy Quran, its teachings and its relevance in contemporary society. Informal discussions took place between the guests and organisers, focusing on religious tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence in a diverse society.

and Isha prayers concluded the day. The second day began with the congregational Fajr prayer at the mosque, followed by breakfast and thereafter, all members proceeded to a sports hall for the sports competitions. At 2 pm, the activities at the sports hall concluded and everyone returned to the mosque, where Zuhr and Asr prayers were offered, followed by lunch. The closing session of the ijtema

commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the Ansar Pledge, a poem and the annual report by the Sadr Majlis. After the prize distribution ceremony, the National President of Jamaat Finland delivered a brief address on “The History of Ansarullah.” Following this, the Sadr Majlis read out a special message from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa). The ijtema concluded with a silent prayer. The total attendance at the ijtema was 67.

AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026

Friday Sermon Mubarak Mosque, Islamabad, UK

7 August 2026

The Prophet’s (sa) gratitude to God: Reflections on his actions and teachings After reciting the tashahhud, ta’awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) stated:

The lofty standards of the Holy Prophet (sa) in expressing his gratitude, his own practical examples and guidance in this regard were being discussed in the sermons prior to the Jalsa, and I will continue doing so today as well. Drawing our attention towards being grateful to Allah the Almighty, he guided us to be thankful even for the smallest of things. In relation to this, Hazrat Anas bin Malik (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) said: “Allah is pleased by this deed of His servant that when he eats a morsel or drinks a sip, he praises Him.” (Sahih Muslim [Translation], Kitab az-zikri wa d-du‘ai wa t-tawbati wa l-istighfar, Hadith 4901 (89), Vol. 14, Noor Foundation, p. 107) Similarly, Hazrat Aisha (ra) relates that once, the Holy Prophet (sa) entered his home and saw a piece of bread lying on the floor. He picked it up, cleaned it, ate it and said: “O Aisha! Honour that which is worthy of honour. When this blessing of sustenance is removed from a people, it does not return to them.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab alat’imah, Hadith 3353) This was the practical example of the Holy Prophet (sa). He would express his gratitude to Allah the Almighty for seemingly even the smallest of things. He would thank Him for His blessings and instruct the members of his household to do the same. Hence, if we desire blessings in our provisions, we must express gratitude for every blessing of Allah the Almighty. Hazrat Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) relates that on the day of the Victory of Mecca, the Holy Prophet (sa) went to the home of his paternal cousin, Umm-e-Hani bint Abi Talib (ra). At the time, he was hungry and said: “Do you have anything that we can eat?” She replied: “I have nothing except some pieces of dry bread, but I feel embarrassed to present

them before you.” The Holy Prophet (sa) said: “You may bring them.” He then placed them in water and broke them into small pieces. She then brought some salt. The Holy Prophet (sa) asked: “Is there any broth?” She replied: “O Messenger (sa) of Allah! There is nothing except some vinegar.” The Holy Prophet (sa) said: “You may bring that.” He poured it over his food, ate from it and praised Allah the Glorious. He then said: “What an excellent broth vinegar is! O Umm-e-Hani! A home that has vinegar is not a poor home.” (Al-Mu’jim Al-Saghir, AlTabrani [Translation], Hadith 951, Shabbir Brothers Lahore, 2014, pp. 615-616) These were the standards of the gratitude expressed by the Holy Prophet (sa). We live in these countries [in the West] and benefit from countless blessings. Despite this, we do not fulfil the due right of being grateful towards Allah the Almighty. In fact, at times, we even begin to complain over the smallest matters. We complain to our family members that you did not bring this or that. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) has described such ungrateful people, while on the other hand the gratitude of the Companions in a very powerful manner. He states: “If you ever have to wear a torn garment, you begin to lament and say, ‘How unfortunate we are that we have been left with torn clothes to wear.’ But when the Companions received a torn garment, their heads would bow before Allah the Almighty. Their tongues would become occupied in His praise, and they would say, ‘What a wonderful garment our God has bestowed upon us.’ “If, after four days, they received nothing more than a piece of dry bread, their eyes would sparkle with joy, and they would say, ‘alhamdulillah [all praise belongs to Allah],

God has favoured us with His bounty.’ “That is why those pieces of dry bread benefited them (addressing members of the Jamaat, he said) more than even pilau and korma benefit you today. “Today, a person who is served pilau eats it, yet at the same time regrets that there was no zarda with it. If someone is given both pilau and zardah, he still weeps tears of disappointment and says, ‘If only there had been firni as well.’ The one who is given lentils longs for meat. The one who is given meat craves rice. The one who has four loaves to eat. [...]” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) then gave many such examples. He then says, “In contrast, what was the condition of the Companions? If they received even a simple piece of dry bread, they would say, ‘We were not even worthy of this morsel. It is purely the grace of Allah that He has granted it to us.’ “The result was that even a piece of dry bread became a source of strength for them. It instilled in them lofty aspirations and further increased their spirit of gratitude. “On the day of the Conquest of Mecca, when the power of the Arab chiefs came to an end, and the Holy Prophet (sa) entered Mecca with 10,000 devoted followers, the great leaders whose entire lives had been spent opposing Islam came before him with their heads bowed. He announced to them: “‘Go, I shall not say a thing to you, for you are all free.’ “After making this proclamation, the Holy Prophet (sa) went to the house of Hazrat Umm Hani (ra), (who was his paternal cousin, as has been mentioned earlier). He asked, ‘Do you have anything to eat?’ “She replied, ‘There is nothing to eat

(as was just mentioned). Had I possessed anything, I would gladly have served it to you. All I have is a piece of dry bread that has been lying here for several days.’ “The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Very well, bring that.’ “When she brought the bread, he said, ‘This is an excellent loaf, yet you were distressed, saying that you had nothing in the house.’ “She then brought some water, and he soaked the bread in it. After that he asked, ‘Do you have any broth?’ “She replied, ‘Where could I have got any broth? I scarcely even had bread to offer you. If I had it I would have brought it before. I only have a little vinegar.’ “The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘What an excellent condiment vinegar is.’ “She brought the vinegar (as mentioned), and he dipped it in the vinegar and ate the bread with it.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) says: “The Holy Prophet (sa) regarded even vinegar as a blessing from God and ate the dry bread with it, thanking Allah for His favour. “In reality, a person’s digestion is strengthened by the cheerfulness that arises within the heart. If even something simple is eaten with joy and gratitude, it produces great strength. But if the finest foods are eaten with sorrow and discontent, they bring no real benefit.” He continues, “People today think they deserve more than they have received. The companions, however, always felt they deserved less than what they had been given. Such was their gratitude that even if they received only a little, they would say, ‘This is more than enough.’ “It was for this reason that a single roti

Friday 4 September 2026 | AL HAKAM

[flatbread] benefited them more than ten rotis benefit you today.” He then said, “This is because many of you have not yet tasted the sweetness of faith. Your hearts remain completely unaware of the reality that Allah has created you for a magnificent spiritual mission. Compared to the one whom Allah has chosen to bring about a spiritual revolution and transformation, even the greatest king in the world is insignificant. “Yet instead of understanding your true station and recognising your responsibilities, you become preoccupied with the most trivial and insignificant matters. You complain, ‘I did not get this,’ or ‘I was not given that.’ “Until you develop a true awareness of the purpose for which Allah has created you, and until you recognise your rank, you will never accomplish the work expected of you. “Allah has placed you in a position where your heart should constantly overflow with joy, and where alertness and vitality should always be evident within you. If this quality is developed, you will immediately acquire such strength that even the smallest amount of food will be enough to enable you to carry out your work.” (Amal Ke Baghair Kamyabi Hasil Nahi Ho Sakti, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 18, pp. 475-479; Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 7, Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, p. 393) Thus, this is a course of action that every Ahmadi should adopt – especially those with limited means, but even more so those who have dedicated their lives as waqifeen-ezindagi – in order to elevate their standards of gratitude. There is a great need for this. Likewise, they should strive to instil this spirit as much as possible in their wives and children, because the objective for which the waqifeen have dedicated their lives is a truly noble one. To attain such a lofty goal, they must keep before them the examples of those who themselves achieved such lofty objectives and endeavour to follow them. Only then can that goal truly be realised. The Holy Prophet (sa) not only appreciated the service of his Companions but also rewarded them with heartfelt prayers. In this regard, there is a narration from Hazrat Abu Qatadah (ra). He relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) addressed the Companions during a journey and said: “You will continue travelling throughout this evening and the entire night, and tomorrow, insha-Allah, you will reach water (they were on a journey somewhere).” The people continued travelling, not even turning to one another. Hazrat Abu Qatadah (ra) relates: “The Messenger (sa) of Allah continued riding until the middle of the night. I was riding beside him. The Holy Prophet’s (sa) eyes felt heavy with sleep, and he began to lean to one side on his mount. I quietly went close to him and supported him without waking him until he regained his balance and sat upright again. “He continued travelling until most of the night had passed, when sleep overtook him again, and he leaned to one side. Once more I supported him without waking him until he sat upright again. “We continued in this manner until the final part of the night. This time he leaned even more than before, to the point that he was about to fall from his mount. I hurried forward and supported him.

“He then raised his head and asked, ‘Who is this?’ I replied, ‘Abu Qatadah.’ He asked, ‘Since when have you been accompanying me like this?’ I replied, ‘Since the beginning of the night.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) then prayed, ‘May Allah protect you, just as you have protected His Prophet.’” (Sahih Muslim [Translation], Kitab al-masajidi wa mawadi‘i s-salat, Hadith 1091 (311), Vol. 3, Noor Foundation, pp. 165-166) In this way, the Holy Prophet (sa) expressed the highest standard of gratitude. The Holy Prophet (sa) also set before us the perfect example of gratitude in his own life. One narration relates from Hazrat Abu Umamah (ra) that the Messenger (sa) of Allah said: “My Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, offered to turn the valley of Mecca into gold for me. I replied, ‘No, my Lord. Rather, I would prefer to be hungry one day and wellfed the next, so that when I am well-fed I may praise You and give thanks to You, and when I am hungry I fervently pray before You, and supplicate to You.’” (Kitab Akhlaqan-Nabiyyi Wa Adabuhu, Ibn Hayyan alAsbahani, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi, 1986, p. 224) Another narration is related by Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (ra). He states that whenever the Holy Prophet (sa) drank water, he would drink it in three sips, removing the vessel from his mouth between each sip. (He wouldn’t drink it all in one go; rather, he would do so in three sips). With each sip, he would praise Allah, and after the final sip he would thank Him. (Kitab Akhlaq-ul-Nabi Wa Adabuhu, ibn Hayyan al-Asbahani, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi, 1986, p. 191) As the Holy Prophet (sa) taught, even when you take a sip of water, praise Allah and thank Him. This is the proper manner of drinking water – with gratitude. It is also beneficial for one’s health, for instead of drinking it all at once, one should drink slowly, pausing between sips. In Bukhari, there is a lengthy narration of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra). He says, “By Allah, besides Whom there is no god, that one day because of hunger, I would lie with my liver pressed against the ground in order to support myself, and at times, because of hunger, I would tie a stone around my stomach.” He says that this was not a matter of one day; rather, it continued for several days. He says, “One day, I sat along the pathway (he was in a very difficult condition) through which people would pass. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) passed by. I asked him about a verse of the Book of Allah, the Holy Quran, regarding care for the poor, who do not ask for help and who are hungry. So he explained its meaning to me and then went away. And after this, Hazrat Umar (ra) passed by. I similarly asked him, and he also explained its meaning to me and went away. After this, the Holy Prophet (sa) passed by me. When he saw me, he smiled and understood the condition of my heart, which was visible upon my face. He said, ‘Aba Hirr!’ I said, ‘I am present, O Messenger (sa) of Allah.’ He said, ‘Follow me.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) went towards his home, and I followed behind him. He entered and gave me permission to enter as well. Inside his room there was a bowl of milk. He asked his household where it had come from. They told him that it had been sent as a gift from somewhere. Nonetheless, he then said, ‘Aba

Hirr!’ I said, ‘I am present, O Messenger (sa) of Allah.’ He said, ‘Go to the People of the Suffah and bring them to me.’” These were people who were often hungry and would remain seated there outside. People would sometimes take food to them and feed them at their homes. Nevertheless, he called them. He narrates further, “I disliked being asked to call them. I thought to myself, what can this small quantity of milk possibly do for the People of the Suffah? I had a greater right to drink some of this milk so that I might gain some strength. If they come and he orders me to give it to them, then I will have no choice but to give it to them, and then I have no hope that I will receive any of this milk. There was no alternative for me except to obey Allah and His Messenger (sa). (I had no other choice). Thus, I went to them and called them. The People of the Suffah came and sat in their places. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘O Abu Hurairah!’ I said, ‘I am present, O Messenger (sa) of Allah.’ He said, ‘Take this and give it to them.’ I took the bowl and gave it to one man. He drank until he was satisfied, then another drank, then a third, and they continued drinking in this manner, until I reached the Holy Prophet (sa), while all those who had been sitting there had become completely satisfied and had drunk their fill of the milk. The Holy Prophet (sa) took the bowl and placed it upon his hand. He looked towards me, smiled, and said, ‘Abu Hurairah!’ I said, ‘I am present, O Messenger (sa) of Allah.’ He said, ‘You and I are the only ones remaining now.’ I said, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah, you have indeed spoken the truth.’ He said, ‘Sit down and drink.’ I sat down and began drinking. He said, ‘Drink more.’ So I drank more. He continued saying, ‘Drink more,’ and I continued drinking. Eventually I said, ‘No more, by Him Who sent you with the truth! I can no longer find any room for it. (My stomach is completely full.)’ He said, ‘Show me.’ I handed the bowl to him. He first praised and thanked Allah the Almighty (despite the fact that he too had been hungry). He first thanked Allah the Almighty and invoked His name, and then he drank the remaining milk.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab ar-riqaq, Hadith 6452 [Translation], Vol. 15, Nazarat Ishaat, pp. 220-223) Such was his gratitude, and owing to this gratitude, Allah the Almighty placed such a blessing in it that all the Companions were able to drink from it, and the Holy Prophet (sa) was also able to satisfy his hunger with it. Hazrat Aisha (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “When someone does a favour to a person, he should repay that favour. If he does not have the ability to repay it, he should mention the favour before others, because the person who mentions it has expressed his thankfulness for it. But the person who pretends to possess a quality of greatness which he does not actually possess is like the one who wears two garments of falsehood” that is, he is false from head to toe. (Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Aisha, Vol. 8, Hadith 25100, Alam Al Kotob, pp. 142-143) It is narrated that the maternal uncle of the Holy Prophet (sa), Aswad bin Wahb bin Abd Manaf bin Zuhrah, sought permission to meet him. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, “O my maternal uncle, come inside.” He entered, and the Holy Prophet (sa) spread

his cloak for him and said, “Sit upon it, because the status of a maternal uncle is like that of a father.” He then said, “O my maternal uncle, when someone is shown a favour and does not express gratitude for it, then at the very least he should mention that favour. For when he mentions it, it is as though he has expressed gratitude for it.” (Al-Sirah Al-Halabiyah, Vol. 2, Dar AlKotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2008, p. 313) How do we see this aspect of gratitude in the personal life of the Holy Prophet (sa)? There are numerous incidents. He always remembered those who had done him favours and continued to mention them on every occasion. For example, Hazrat Khadija (ra), his noble wife, continually aided the Holy Prophet (sa) and treated him with kindness at every step. She was a wealthy woman of Mecca. When she married the Holy Prophet (sa), she placed all of her wealth before the Holy Prophet (sa), telling him to use it in whatever manner he wished. Then, after his claim to prophethood, she stood beside him with complete sincerity and devotion through every hardship and every difficulty, until her demise in the 10th year of his prophethood. The Holy Prophet (sa) remembered the favours of this devoted wife until the end of his life and always mentioned her good deeds. He mentioned her so frequently that his other noble wives sometimes felt jealous. Thus, Hazrat Aisha (ra) relates that whenever the Holy Prophet (sa) mentioned Hazrat Khadija (ra), he praised her – and praised her very highly. One day, I became jealous and said to the Holy Prophet (sa), “Why do you continue to mention that old woman, when Allah the Almighty has given you wives better than her?” Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “Allah the Almighty has not given me a wife better than her because Khadija accepted me when others rejected me; and when people declared me a liar, she affirmed my truthfulness; when people deprived me of their wealth, she supported me with her wealth; and Allah the Almighty granted me children through her, whereas He did not grant me children through the other wives.” (Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Aisha, Vol. 8, Hadith 25376, Alam Al Kotob, 1998, p. 204) Throughout his entire life, he remembered her services and always expressed his gratitude for them. Similarly, regarding his friends who had assisted him in various ways, he expressed great gratitude. Once, a disagreement occurred between Hazrat Umar (ra) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). When the Holy Prophet (sa) was told of this, he reminded the others of the great favours of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and instructed the Companions not to cause him any pain. When both of them came before the Holy Prophet (sa) regarding the matter, both realised their own fault. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) said that he had acted excessively towards Hazrat Umar (ra) and sought his forgiveness. Hazrat Umar (ra) also said that he had acted excessively and asked for forgiveness. In any case, the Holy Prophet (sa) expressed his displeasure at Hazrat Umar (ra) because he argued with Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). He then said, “O Abu Bakr, may Allah conceal your faults and forgive you.” Then Hazrat Umar (ra) became remorseful and went to the house of

AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026 Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). The two were sitting together, and the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “O people, Allah sent me towards you, and you said, ‘You are a liar,’ whereas Abu Bakr said, ‘You are truthful.’ He supported me with his life and his wealth. Will you leave my companion alone for me or not?” He repeated this twice and after this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) never caused distress. He was always treated with due consideration. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab fada’ili ashabi n-nabiyy, Hadith 3661 [Translation], Vol. 7, Nazarat Ishaat, pp. 153-154) Hazrat Abu Sa‘id Khudri (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) addressed the people and said, “Allah gave a servant the choice between preferring the world or preferring the blessing which is with Allah, and that servant chose the blessing which is with Allah.” Hazrat Abu Sa‘id (ra) says that upon hearing this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) began to weep. We were surprised at his weeping because the Holy Prophet (sa) was speaking about a servant who had been given a choice, but Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) had begun to weep. In reality, this referred to the Holy Prophet (sa) himself, who had been given the choice. The narrator says that Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was the most knowledgeable of us regarding this matter, and therefore he began to weep. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, “Among the people, the person who has shown me the greatest favour through his companionship and through spending his wealth is Abu Bakr. If I were to take anyone as a deeply close friend besides my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab fada’ili ashabi n-nabiyy, Hadith 3654 [Translation], Vol. 7, pp. 149-150, Nazarat Ishaat) The reason Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) began to weep was that, upon hearing these words, he realised that Allah the Almighty intended to call the Holy Prophet (sa) to Himself. When the Muslims were subjected to various forms of persecution in Mecca, they migrated towards Abyssinia with the permission of Allah the Almighty. At that time, the King of Abyssinia granted them refuge in his country. The Holy Prophet (sa) always remembered this favour of King Negus, and on every occasion expressed his gratitude for this kindness through his words and actions. On one occasion, a delegation from Negus came to the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) stood up to welcome them. His Companions said, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, we are sufficient [to receive them].” He replied, “They treated my Companions with great honour and respect, and I wish to personally repay their favour.” (Al-Sirah Al-Nabwaiyyah, Ibn Kathir, Vol. 2, Maktab Dar-ul-Ma‘rifah, p. 31) Then, moved by this same spirit of gratitude, the Holy Prophet (sa) also offered the funeral prayer in absentia for the king. Thus, Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) narrates that when the Holy Prophet (sa) received news of the death of Negus, he offered his funeral prayer in absentia. The Companions formed rows behind him, and the Holy Prophet (sa) pronounced the takbir [saying Allah is the Greatest] four times during the prayer. (Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Abi Hurairah, Vol. 3, Hadith 9644, Alam al-Kotob, p. 551) An expression of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) gratitude for the conduct of the Ansar

is found in the following narration. In the 13th year of his prophethood, before the migration, seventy people from Medina pledged allegiance at the hand of the Holy Prophet (sa). They vowed that when the Holy Prophet (sa) came to Medina, they would protect him as they protected their own lives. On that occasion, one Companion from among the Ansar submitted, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, we have longstanding ties with the Jews of Medina. By supporting you, those ties will be severed. Let it not be that when Allah grants you victory, you leave us and return to Mecca.” The Holy Prophet (sa) replied, “No, not at all. This will never happen. Your blood is my blood. Your friends will be my friends, and your enemies will be my enemies.” (Al-Sirah Al-Nabwaiyyah, Ibn Hisham, Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 2001, p. 315; Subul Al-Huda Wa Al-Rishad, Vol. 3, Maktabah Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, p. 201) Hazrat Ibn Abbas (ra) relates: “The Holy Prophet (sa) once went to answer the call of nature, and I placed water for his ablution. The Holy Prophet (sa) asked, ‘Who placed this here’. “When he was informed, the Holy Prophet (sa) prayed, saying:

� ُ ْ � َ َ ُ �ٰ َ ‫الِّدْیْ ِِن‬ ّ ‫َالّٰلُھ �َّم َف ِّّقْھُہ ِفِی‬

“‘O Allah, grant him understanding of the faith.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari [Translation], Kitab al-wudhu, Hadith 143, Vol. 1, p. 233) The Holy Prophet (sa) would express gratitude even for a small act of service. There is another narration that during the journey after the Battle of Khaibar, the Holy Prophet (sa) married Hazrat Safiyyah (ra). On the night of the wedding, Hazrat Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zaid (ra) stood guard outside the Holy Prophet’s (sa) tent throughout the night. When the Holy Prophet (sa) awoke in the morning and saw Abu Ayyub (ra) standing guard outside, he asked, “O Abu Ayyub, is everything alright? What is the matter?” He submitted, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, I felt apprehensive for you because of this woman, lest she cause you harm. In the Battle of Khaibar, you killed her father, her husband and her people, and she has only recently accepted Islam. For this reason, I feared for you on her account.” The narrator relates that, seeing his sincerity, the Holy Prophet (sa) prayed for him, saying, “O Allah, protect Abu Ayyub just as he spent the night protecting me.” (Al-Rawd al-Unuf, Vol. 4, Abu Ayub yahrisu r-raula laylah…, Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, p. 85) Mut‘im bin Adiyy was the person who tore up the cruel pact of the Quraish, and who, upon the Holy Prophet’s (sa) return from Ta’if, granted him protection and brought him into Mecca under his safeguard. Thus, when the prisoners of Badr were brought before the Holy Prophet (sa), he recounted the favours of Mut‘im. It is narrated that Muhammad bin Jubair related from his father, Hazrat Jubair bin Mut‘im (ra), that the Holy Prophet (sa) said regarding the prisoners of Badr, “Had Mut‘im bin Adiyy been alive and mediated with me concerning these wretched people, I would have released them for his sake.” (Sahih al-Bukhari [Translation], Kitab fardi l-khums, Hadith 3139, Vol. 5, pp. 487-488; Al-Sirah Al-Halabiyah, Vol. 1, Maktabah Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, pp. 487 and 507) Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib (ra) has also recorded this incident. After narrating it, he writes:

“Mut‘im was a staunch idolater and he died in this very state, but possessed a noble disposition. As such, Mut‘im was the one who tore apart the cruel document of the Quraish, due to which the Muslims had been besieged in the valley of Abu Talib. When the Holy Prophet (sa) returned from Ta’if as well, it was Mut‘im who escorted the Holy Prophet (sa) into Mecca under his own protection. It was in remembrance of this benevolence that the Holy Prophet (sa) uttered these words. In actuality, it was a distinct quality of the Holy Prophet (sa) that if a person did even the smallest good deed to him, he would never forget his benevolence. The Holy Prophet (sa) would always desire that he continue receiving an opportunity to practically express gratitude for that person’s goodwill. Furthermore, the Holy Prophet (sa) was not like such worldly people who after returning an individual for his generosity with a good deed once, would begin saying that now his debt had been repaid. Rather, the Holy Prophet (sa) would continue striving throughout his life to repay the favour, or would continue to mention it.” (Sirat Khatam-un-Nabiyyeen, pp. 365-366) Abdullah bin Abi Rabi‘ah Makhzumi (ra) narrates from his father, and he from his grandfather, that when the Holy Prophet (sa) set out for the Battle of Hunain, he took a loan of 30 or 40 thousand dirhams from him. When he returned from Hunain, he repaid it. Then the Holy Prophet (sa) said to him, “May Allah bestow blessings in your family and in your wealth.” The proper recompense for wealth and a loan is full repayment and words of praise.” That is, it is necessary to thank the person who gives a loan. (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab as-sadaqat, Hadith 2424) Hazrat Amr bin Akhtab (ra) relates: “Once, the Holy Prophet (sa) asked for water. I brought water for him in a vessel, but there was a hair in it. I removed the hair (this was something very small) and then presented the vessel to the Messenger (sa) of Allah. The Messenger (sa) of Allah said:

ْ َ �ٰ َ ‫َالّٰل ُُھ �َّم ََج �ِّمّْل ُُہ‬

“‘O Allah, grant him beauty.’” There was no occasion, however small, upon which the Holy Prophet (sa) would fail to express gratitude. The narrator says that later he saw the effect of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) prayer upon him, as he lived to the age of ninety-three, and there was not a single white hair on his head or in his beard. (Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Amr bin Akhtab Abu Zaid, Vol. 7, Hadith 23271, Alam al-Kotob, 1998, p. 600) Similarly, there is a narration from Qatadah, who said: “I heard Hazrat Anas (ra) say that Hazrat Umm Sulaim (ra) said to the Holy Prophet (sa), ‘Anas is your servant.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) prayed for Anas, saying, ‘O Allah, increase his wealth and his progeny and bless him in whatever You have granted him.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari [Translation], Kitab-ul-Da’wat, Hadith 6334, Vol. 15, Nazarat Ishaat, p. 59) The fulfilment of this prayer is mentioned in the following words. Hazrat Anas (ra) says, “By Allah, my wealth is indeed abundant, and the number of my children and grandchildren has now reached nearly one hundred.” (Sahih Muslim [Translation], Kitab fada’ili s-sahabah, Hadith 4517 (143), Vol. 13, Noor Foundation, p. 124)

Then, Hazrat Jabir (ra) narrates that the Holy Prophet (sa) offered guidance and said: “Whoever is shown a favour and then mentions it has expressed gratitude for it; and whoever conceals it has shown ingratitude.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab-ulAdab, Hadith 4814) It is narrated by Hazrat Aisha (ra) that the Holy Prophet (sa) would accept gifts and would also give something in return. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-adab, Hadith 3536) Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “If someone is given a gift, then if he has the means, he should give something in return. And if he does not have the means, then he should praise the one who gave the gift, for whoever praises him has expressed gratitude; and whoever conceals it has shown ingratitude.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-adab, Hadith 4813) These are the fundamental moral qualities that are essential for fostering love and tolerance in society. It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) that a Bedouin presented a she-camel to the Holy Prophet (sa) as a gift. In return, the Holy Prophet (sa) gave him six she-camels. (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Abwab al-manaqib, Hadith 3945) It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) that a person came into the presence of the Holy Prophet (sa) and asked him for assistance. The Holy Prophet (sa) borrowed half a wasq of grain and gave it to him, which was approximately eighty kilograms. When the person who had lent the grain came to the Holy Prophet (sa) to demand repayment, the Holy Prophet (sa) gave him one wasq and said, “Half of it is in repayment of his debt, and the other half is a gift for him as an expression of gratitude.” (Al-Shifa Bi Ta’reef Huqooq Al-Mustafa, Qazi Ayyaz, Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, 2002, pp. 77-78) It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Hind (ra) that Tamim bin Aus al-Dari (ra) brought lanterns, olive oil and stitched ropes from Syria to Medina. When he arrived in Medina, it happened to be the night of Friday. He instructed his servant to prepare the ropes and hang the lanterns in the Holy Prophet’s (sa) Mosque. He then filled the lamps with oil and placed wicks in them. When the sun had set, Tamim (ra) instructed his servant to light them. When the Holy Prophet (sa) came to the mosque, he saw that it was illuminated by these lamps. The Holy Prophet (sa) was greatly pleased upon seeing this and asked, “Who has done this?” The Companions submitted, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, it was Tamim alDari.” The Holy Prophet (sa) prayed for him and said, “You have indeed illuminated Islam. May Allah illuminate you in this world and in the Hereafter.” The Holy Prophet (sa) further said, “If I had a daughter, I would have married her to you.” In this manner, he expressed his great appreciation for the service Tamim had rendered by illuminating the mosque. (Al Jami al-Ahkam al-Quran [Tafsir al Qurtubi], Vol. 2, Dar Ibn Hazm, pp. 2205-2206; AlTabqat Al-Kubra, Vol. 7, Maktabah Dar AlKotob Al-Ilmiyah, p. 286) It is narrated by Hazrat Aisha (ra) that the Holy Prophet (sa) would stand for such a long time in prayer during the night that

Friday 4 September 2026 | AL HAKAM

his feet would become swollen and the skin would crack. Seeing this, Hazrat Aisha (ra) said, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, why do you exert yourself to such an extent, when Allah has safeguarded you from all sin, both past and future?” The Holy Prophet (sa) replied, “Should I not then strive to become a grateful servant of Allah?” When, owing to his physical condition, the Holy Prophet (sa) experienced discomfort in his legs while standing, he would sometimes offer the prayer while seated. In such circumstances, he would recite Surah al-Fatihah and another chapter while seated. However, when he intended to perform the ruku’, he would stand up and then perform the ruku‘ from the standing position. (Sahih al-Bukhari [Translation], Kitab at-tafsir, Hadith 4837, Vol. 12, Nazarat Ishaat, p. 83) Ata narrates that on one occasion, I went to visit Hazrat Aisha (ra) in the company of Ibn Umar and Ubaidullah bin Umar. I said to the Mother of the Believers, Hazrat Aisha (ra), “Tell me of the most extraordinary thing that you witnessed in the Holy Prophet (sa).” Upon hearing this, Hazrat Aisha (ra) became overcome with emotion at the remembrance of the Holy Prophet (sa) and began to weep. She said, “Every aspect of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) conduct was extraordinary.” She related, “On one occasion, the Holy Prophet (sa) came to me at night and lay down beside me. He said, ‘O Aisha, will you permit me tonight to worship my Lord?’ I replied, ‘By Allah, I completely respect your desire and cherish your nearness to me. You have my permission.’ “He then arose, performed ablution from a water-skin and stood for prayer. During the prayer, he wept so profusely that his tears began to fall upon his chest. After completing the prayer, he sat reclining on his right side, with his right hand beneath his right cheek, and began to weep again. He continued weeping until his tears fell upon the ground. “This continued until Bilal (ra) came to call for the Fajr prayer. Seeing him in this state of intense weeping, Bilal (ra) said, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah, why do you weep so much, when Allah the Almighty has forgiven all your past and future shortcomings?’ “The Holy Prophet (sa) replied, ‘Should I not then be a grateful servant of Allah? And why should I not weep when, tonight, my Lord has revealed these verses?’” (The verses are the following verses of Surah Aal-e-Imran:)

َ� َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٰ ٰ َ� ۡ َ ۡ َ� ٰ َ� ‫اِف اَّل ۡۡی ِِل ََوالَّن ََہاِرِ َلَٰا ٰٰی ٍٍت‬ ِ ‫ِض َواۡخ ِِتَل‬ ِ ‫ِِاَّن ِفِۡی َخۡل ِِق الَّسٰمٰو ِِت َواۡلَاۡر‬ ٰ‫ِّل �ُاُوِلی اۡلَۡاَۡل ۡ ََباِب۔ اَّل�َِذۡیۡ ََن َیَ ۡۡذُکُ ُُر ۡۡو ََن ال ٰ�ّٰل ََہ ِقِ ٰٰی ًًما �ََّو ُُق ُُعۡوۡ ًًدا �ََّو ََعٰلی‬ ِ ِ ِ ََۡ ََ َ َ� ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ ُ َ� َ َ َ َ ۡ ۡ ِ ُ ُ ‫الَّس ٰٰم ٰٰو ِِت ََواۡلَۡا ۡۡرِۚض� ۚ ََر �َّبَنا ََما َخَلۡق ََت‬ ‫ُجُنۡو ِِب ِِہۡم َوَیَتَفَّکُرۡوَن ِفِۡی َخۡل ِِق‬ َ� َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ٰ ۡ ُ ً َ َ ٰ ‫ٰہَذا َبا ِِطًلۚاۚ ُسۡبٰحَنَک َف ِِقَنا َعَذ‬ ِ‫اَب الَّناِر‬ “In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day there are indeed Signs for men of understanding; Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain; nay, Holy art Thou; save us, then, from the punishment of

the Fire.’” [3:191-192] (Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan, Commentary under the verse: Surah Aal-eImran, V.191-192, Vol. 2, Dar Al-Kotob AlIlmiyah, 2003, p. 150; Kitab Akhlaq-ul-Nabi Wa Adabuhu, Hadith 553, Dar Al-Lu Lu, Cairo, 2016, pp. 408-409) The Holy Prophet (sa) then stated after reciting these verses, “Woe to the person who recites these verses but does not reflect upon them.” (Ruh al-Ma‘ani, under the commentary of Surah Al-e-‘Imran, Verses 191-192, Vol. 4, Dar Ihya al-Turath, 1999, pp. 499-500) Explaining this Hadith, Hazrat Muslehe-Maud (ra) states at one place that: “The Arabic words:

ُ َ َُ َ ‫َاَلَا َاُکْوْن ََع ْْب ًًدا َشُکْوْ ًًرا‬

“[Should I not be a grateful servant?]” This refers to the hadith about the gratitude expressed by the Holy Prophet (sa). He says, “The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘O Aisha, is it only the duty of God to show benevolence? Is it not also the duty of a man upon whom God has bestowed His blessings to then fulfil his obligations towards God?’ “If even a person such as the Holy Prophet (sa), despite all the sacrifices he made and despite the abundance of love and devotion he possessed for Allah the Almighty, still felt the need to rise during the nights and stand before Allah for such prolonged periods that his feet would become swollen; if he worshipped during the day and sought to make his life increasingly worthy of attaining nearness to Allah the Almighty – then what other human being can consider himself exempt from these responsibilities?” (Qiyam-e-Pakistan Aur Humari Zimmadarian, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 19, pp. 439-440) The Promised Messiah (as) also states with regard to this that the Holy Prophet (sa) would weep so profusely and stand for such prolonged periods during his prayers that his feet would become swollen. The Companions submitted, “Allah the Almighty has forgiven all your shortcomings; then what is the reason for such exertion and weeping?” He replied, “Should I not then be a grateful servant of Allah?” (Malfuzat, Vol. 6, p. 231) This condition of the Holy Prophet (sa) teaches us all that, while being grateful for the countless blessings of Allah the Almighty, we should strive to carry our gratitude to the highest possible degree. Gratitude does not mean to sit contently; rather, true gratitude requires further progress in action. The Holy Prophet (sa) had attained the highest possible standard of righteousness. Therefore, he also attained the highest standard of being an “abd shakur” – a truly grateful servant – and at the same time, he instructed us to become grateful servants as well. If we are to fulfil the rights of being true servants of Allah the Almighty, then, as Allah’s blessings continue to descend upon us, we must raise the standards of our worship accordingly and express ever greater gratitude. The result of Allah the Almighty’s blessings should never be indolence. Rather, we should continually advance in our worship and in our gratitude to Him. Thus, so long as we act upon this

principle, we shall continue to progress from one stage of advancement to another, both individually and collectively, insha-Allah. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra), further explaining this subject, states at one place: “Foolish is the person who says:

become increasingly grateful and obedient. “Therefore, you should become even more grateful than before, for Allah the Exalted states:

‘‘‫’’رکماہےئوتامرارکداتسگخ‬

“‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase My blessings upon you.’” (Khutbat-eMahmud, Vol. 5, pp. 361-362) May Allah the Almighty enable us to become truly grateful servants and true worshippers of His, and may He always enable us to partake of His grace and blessings.

“Meaning, ‘It is Your grace that has made me insolent.’ “These are the words of a Persian verse in which the poet says to Allah that it was His grace that made him insolent. In other words, instead of becoming grateful for the favours of God, he became insolent. The blessings of Allah do not make a person insolent and rebellious; this is an erroneous notion of his, rather, they cause him to

ُ َ� َ ُ َ َ ‫َل َ ِِئ ْْن َشَک ْْرُت ْْم َلََاِزِْیْ ََدَّنُک ْْم‬

(Official Urdu transcript published in the Daily Al Fazl International, 28 August 2026, pp. 2-7. Translated by The Review of Religions.)