The fragile ceasefire and prayers for the Muslim world
Lajna members and nasirat from Finland meet Huzoor
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Answers to Everyday Issues Part 106
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The blessed concept of istikharah in Islam and the philosophy of seemingly contradictory dreams Page 11
THE WEEKLY
www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 17 April 2026 | Issue CDXXII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396
‘A whole civilisation will die tonight’ to ‘Golden Age’: US-Israel fragile ceasefire with Iran There is a well-known saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) wherein he states that “actions are judged by intentions.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1) What a person or a nation truly intends eventually becomes clear and the truth becomes manifest. The ongoing situation in the Middle East painfully reflects this reality. Powerful countries speak of peace, stability and security. Yet their actions often suggest something very different. Their statements about war seem unclear and inconsistent. US President Donald Trump, who has often spoken about ending endless wars and told his supporters, “I’m not going to start a war”, has been associated with such policies and rhetoric that reveal these contradictions. Going against his earlier statements, Trump initiated a war with Iran under the guise of protecting and liberating citizens under oppression. However, as the situation escalated, his tone grew significantly harsher, with statements like “a whole civilisation will die tonight”, raising serious questions about the underlying intentions. There is hope that the current US-Israel ceasefire with Iran holds. But many people now feel that the promises of major powers no longer carry the same weight. Trust has been weakened and despite Lebanon being covered in the ceasefire, the recent attacks on its territory reflect this harsh reality. Among European countries, Spain alone issued a clear and direct condemnation of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A couple
of others voiced limited concern without taking a firm stand against this unprovoked conflict; countries including Germany, the United Kingdom and France backed the actions or facilitated them through logistical support. (“Why Europe’s leaders have struggled to speak as one on Iran”, bbc. com, 3 March 2026) This approach suggests that the principles of humanity and human rights are sometimes applied selectively, extending only as far as national borders or the interests of allied states. It is also difficult to understand the contrast in language. On one side, Trump threatens to push a sovereign nation “back to the stone age”. On the other hand, there are claims about helping the region reach a “Golden Age”.
History tells us that the Golden Age of Islamic civilisation came at a time when societies were allowed to grow without constant outside interference. If there is a genuine desire to see progress in the Middle East, then perhaps the first step is to respect the sovereignty of its people. There is a hope that leaders who speak of change will move towards reducing interference rather than increasing it. The people of Iran, like all people, deserve the chance to shape their own future. The war has already taught harsh lessons to both East and West. Economies have suffered. Innocent lives have been lost. Families have been broken. The damage is not only Continued on page 3
Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
The seven whom Allah will shelter on the Day of Judgement
َ َ ّ َّ َ َ ﻋ ِﻦ،ﻋ ْﻦ أ�ِ� ُﻫ َﺮﻳْ َﺮة اﻟﻨ ِ� ِّ� ﺻﻠﻰ ٌ َ َ ّ ّٰ ا��� �ﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ ﻗﺎل� َﺳ ْﺒ َﻌﺔ َّ َّ َ َ ْ َ ّ َّ ُ ُّ ��ﻳ ُ ِﻈﻠ� ُ� ا�� ُ� �ِ� ِﻇ ِ� ِ� ﻳﻮم �� ِﻇﻞ ِإ َ َ َ ٌّ َ ُ ْ ُ ُ ِﻇ� ّ ُ� ا�� َﻣ �ِ� ﺎب �ﺸﺄ َوﺷ،ﺎم اﻟ َﻌﺎدِل ِ ٌ َّ َ ُ ُ ُ ْ َ ٌ ُ َ َ ّ َ َ َ ورﺟﻞ ﻗﻠﺒﻪ ﻣﻌﻠﻖ،ِﻋﺒﺎد ِة رﺑِ ِﻪ َ َ َ َ َْ �ِ� َو َر ُﺟ�� ِن ��َﺎﺑّﺎ،ﺎﺟ ِﺪ ِ �ِ� اﻟﻤﺴ َ َ َََ َ ْ �َّ��ا ،اﺟ َﺘ َﻤ َﻌﺎ َ�ﻠ ْﻴ ِﻪ َوﺗ� ّ�ﻗﺎ َ�ﻠ ْﻴ ِﻪ ِ َ َ ٌ َ ٌ َ ْ ُ ُ َو َر ُﺟﻞ ﻃﻠ َﺒ ْﺘﻪ ا� َ�أة ذات َ� ْﻨ ِﺼ ٍﺐ َّ ُ َ َ ّ َ َ َ ��َ ��ﺎل ﻓﻘﺎل ِإ�ِ� أﺧﺎف ا َو َﺟ َﻤ ٍ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ ٌ َو َر ُﺟﻞ ﺗ َﺼﺪق أﺧﻔﻰ َﺣ ّﺘﻰ �� ﺗ ْﻌﻠ َﻢ ََ ٌ ُ ُ َ ُ ُْ َ ُُ َ َو َر ُﺟﻞ ذ� َﺮ،ﻴﻨﻪ ِ��ﺎ�� ﻣﺎ ﺗﻨ ِﻔﻖ ﻳ ِﻤ َ ََ َ َّ َ ْ ُ �ا�� َ� ﺧﺎﻟ ًِﻴﺎ ﻓﻔﺎﺿﺖ ﻋ ْﻴ َﻨﺎه Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “There are seven whom Allah will shelter in His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His shade: a just imam, a young man who grew up in the worship of his Lord, a man whose heart is attached to the mosques, two men who loved one another for Allah’s sake, who came together upon that and parted upon that, a man who is invited by a woman of rank and beauty [to sin] and he says, ‘Indeed, I fear Allah’, a man who gives charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand spends, and a man who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes overflow with tears.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-adhan, Bab man jalasa fi l-masjidi yantaziru s-salata wa fadli l-masajid, Hadith 660)