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Author: Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Description: This book is a brief introduction to the five fundamental articles of the Islamic faith. The articles of faith, which all Muslims believe in, are: Unity of God, Angels, Prophets, Holy Books and Life after Death. Throughout the book, the author emphasises the areas of similarities between Islam and other religions. He shows how religious teachings evolved through the ages culminating in the complete, perfect and universal teachings of Islam. (read it online)
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Chapter 6: Jihad and the British Government
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Translation and short commentary by Maulana Ghulam Farid Sahib. The best quick reference Holy Quran with an extraordinary biblical in one volume.
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Home Critical Analysis/Archives Mahzarnama - The Memorandum
Mahzarnama - The Memorandum

The Elevated and Superb Magnificence of the Holy Quran as viewed by the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at

The expression Khaatamun Nabiyyeen applied to the Holy Prophetsa, demands that the Book that was revealed to him, should be the most perfect of all books and should comprise all excellences; and indeed so it is. The rule is that whatever degree of spiritual power and inner perfection is possessed by the person upon whom the Word of God descends, the same degree of power and majesty is possessed by that word. As the spiritual power and inner perfection of the Holy Prophetsa were of the highest degree, which no oneever exceeded or will exceed, therefore the Holy Quran occupies that high station and rank which has not been reached by any of the previous Books and Scriptures. The capacity and spiritual power of the Holy Prophetsa were the highest possible, and all excellences had reached their climax in him. Therefore, the Holy Quran that was revealed to him is also perfect and as the excellences of Prophethood reached perfection in him, so did the miracle of the divine word reach their perfection in the Holy Quran. Thus he was the Khaatamun Nabiyyeen and his Book was the Khaatamul Kutub. From the point of view of every aspect of a miraculous word, the Holy Quran is at the highest point of excellence. The perfection of the Holy Quran is seen and its miraculous character is proved from every point of view, that is to say, from the points of view of excellence of composition, of the sequence of its subjects, of its teaching and its perfection and of the fruits of its teaching. That is why the Holy Quran has not demanded its match from any particular point of view, but has issued a general challenge demanding a match from any point of view. From whichever point of view it is looked at, it is a miracle.” [Malfoozaat, vol. II, pp. 26-27]

“The Holy Quran is a miracle the like of which never was and never will be. The door of its graces and blessings is always open, and it is bright and manifest in every age as it was in the time of the Holy Prophetsa. It should also be borne in mind that the speech of everyone corresponds to his high resolve. The higher the courage and determination and the purpose of the speaker, the same will be the case with his speech. Divine revelation also follows the same rule. The higher the resolve of the person to whom Divine revelation is vouchsafed, the higher will be the quality of the revelation. As the circle of the resolve and capacity and determination of the Holy Prophetsa was very wide, the revelation that came to him had the same high rank. No one else will ever attain the same degree of resolve and courage inasmuch as his message was not for any limited time or for any particular people, as was the case with the Prophets before him. It was said to him:

[1]
[2]

Who can match him, the scope and circle of whose advent and messengership was so wide. Today if a verse of the Holy Quran is revealed to anyone, I am convinced that the circle of that revelation will not be as wide as it was and is in the case of the Holy Prophetsa." [Malfoozaat, vol. II, pp. 40-41]

“Hundreds of thousands of pious people have the experience that by following the Holy Quran, Divine blessings descend upon the heart and a wonderful relationship is established with the Divine. Divine lights and revelation descend upon the hearts, and insights and fine points issue from mouths. They are bestowed a strong trust and a firm certainty and the delicious love of God which is nurtured by the delight of close communion (sic. with God), is generated in their hearts. If their beings are ground down in the mortar of calamities and are squeezed in powerful presses, their essence would be found only to be the love of God. The world is unaware of them and they are far above and higher than the world. The treatment accorded to them by God is miraculous. It has been proved to them that God exists and that He is One. When they pray to Him, He hears them, and when they call on Him, He responds to them. When they seek refuge with Him, He runs to them. He loves them more than a father. He rains down blessings on their homes. They are recognized by His overt and covert and spiritual and material support. He helps them in every field for they are His and He is theirs. These things are not without proof.” [Surmah Chashm Aaryah, Roohaani Khazaa’in vol. 2 p.79]

The straight path and major source of perfect guidance, which is full of certainty and continuity is the Holy Quran, which is the perfect guide for our spiritual well being and intellectual progress. It is the Holy Quran which has been entrusted with the task of resolving religious disputes of the entire world. Each Quranic verse, indeed each word is imbued with multidimensional perpetuity, which for us is full of the elixir of life, and contains many rare and priceless jewels which lie hidden in it and are being discovered every day. It is indeed an excellent touchstone whereby we can distinguish between truth and falsehood. It is the one bright lamp which shows the way of truth. Without doubt the hearts of those who have an affinity and a relationship with the straight path are being irresistibly drawn to the Holy Quran. God has so fashioned their hearts that they lean towards their Beloved like a lover and find no rest elsewhere; and on hearing a plain and clear directive from Him, they listen to no one else. They accept joyfully and eagerly every verity contained in it. In the end it becomes the means of illumination of the heart and lighting up the conscience and of wonderful disclosures. It leads everyone to the heights of progress according to their capacities. The righteous have always been in need of walking in the light of the Holy Quran. Whenever Islam has been confronted with any other religion in consequence of some new condition of the age, the sharp and effective instrument that has immediately come to hand is the Holy Quran. Likewise, whenever any hostile philosophic idea gained currency, it was the Holy Quran which in the end destroyed this accursed plant, and proved it worthless, thus showing to the world that the true philosophy is to be found nowhere but in the Holy Quran. In the modern age, when Christian missionaries started their propaganda and made an attempt to draw away unintelligent and ignorant people from the Unity of God and to make them worship a humble creature and employed every kind of sophistry for dressing up their doubtful ideas and thus created a storm in India, it was the Holy Quran which repelled them so that they are not now able to face an intelligent person and their extensive apologetics have been folded up like a piece of paper.” [Izala-e-Auhaam, Roohaani Khazaa’in vol. 3 p. 381]

“Man needs to be freed from the fatal passion of sin. The greatness of God should so occupy his heart that it should rid him of the overpowering desire of passion which falls upon him like lightning and instantly consumes his reserves of righteousness. Those impure passions which attack repeatedly like epilepsy and destroy all sense of piety cannot be wiped out by a self-conceived concept of God; nor can they be suppressed only by one's own thinking, or blocked by an atonement without suffering its agony. This is not a matter of indifference but in the estimation of a wise person it is worthy of consideration above all else as to how he might safeguard himself against the ruin which confronts him on account of his daring and his lack of relationship with God. The root of which is sin and disobedience. It is obvious that a person cannot give up a certain pleasure for the sake of conjecture. It is only certainty that can rescue one from another certainty. For instance, if we are certain that there are a number of deer in a forest whom we can easily catch, we are incited by that certainty to enter the forest for that purpose; but if we are also certain that there are half a hundred lions in the forest and thousands of pythons, we would be dissuaded from making the attempt. Thus sin cannot be avoided without this degree of certainty. It is only iron that cuts iron. There should be that certainty of the greatness and awe of God which should tear up the curtains of heedlessness, and make the body tremble, and should make death appear near. The heart should be so overcome by fear that all relationship with the sinful ego should be cut asunder and one should be drawn by hidden hands towards God and heart should be filled with certainty that God Who is truly present does not leave a daring offender without punishment. What shall a seeker after true purity do with a book which does not fill this need?

“I wish to convey it to everyone that the Holy Quran is the Book which fills all these needs. through it a person is drawn to God and his heart grows cold to the love of the world. By following it, God, Who is Secret beyond secrets, in the end manifests Himself and displays those powers of which outsiders have no notion, and informs of His existence by the affirmation: “I am present.” But the Vedas certainly do not possess this quality. They are like a worn out bundle whose owner is dead or is not traceable. The Permeshwar towards whom the Vedas call is not proved to be living. Indeed the Vedas put forward no proof that their Permeshwar exists. The misleading teaching of the Vedas has rendered it doubtful that one could find the Creator through His creation; inasmuch as, according to the teachings of the Vedas, souls and particles are all eternal and uncreated, then how can one discover the Creator through that which is uncreated? Also the Vedas shut the door of Divine revelation and deny the fresh Signs of God. According to the Vedas, Permeshwar cannot display a Sign in support of His special servants which should be beyond the knowledge or experience of the average person. The utmost that can be said about the Vedas is that they affirm the existence of God like an average being, and do not put forward any certain proof in support of the existence of God. In short the Vedas cannot bestow that understanding which comes fresh from God and conveys a person from earth to heaven, but our observation and experience and of those who have passed before us, is witness that the Holy Quran draws its true follower to itself through its spiritual effect and its inherent light and illumines his heart, and then by displaying great signs creates such a strong relationship with God as cannot be cut asunder by a sharp sword. It opens the eye of the heart and banks up the dirty spring of sin and honours one with the delicious converse of God and discloses that which is hidden and helps acceptance of prayer and gives information of it. God Almighty, through His terrible signs, makes it manifest to everyone who opposes a true follower of the Holy Quran that He is with that servant of His who follows His Word.” [Chashma-e-Ma'arifat, Roohaani Khazaa’in vol. 23 p.306-309]

“The bounties that are bestowed upon the followers of the Holy Quran and the special gifts that they receive are not capable of being expressed in words, but some of them are of such great magnitude that it would be proper to mention them in some detail for the guidance of seekers.

“Of these are the Quranic delicacies like knowledge and insights which are bestowed on perfect followers. When a person adopts true obedience to the Holy Quran, and commits himself wholly to its commandments, and reflects upon its guidance with perfect love and sincerity, and does not hold back in any respect, then his observation and reflection are bestowed a light, and he is equipped with a delicate sense of reason whereby he is informed of wonderful fine points of Divine knowledge, which are hidden in the word of God, and fine insights descend upon his heart like heavy rain. These fine insights are given the name of wisdom in the Holy Quran as is said:

This knowledge and understanding, which are called wisdom or gnosis, being comprehensive of abundant good, are like a vast ocean which is bestowed upon the followers of the Divine word. Their observation and reflection are so blessed that high verities are reflected in their souls, as in a mirror, and perfect truths are disclosed to them. Divine support furnishes them with such means at the time of every research that what they set forth does not remain incomplete or defective and contains no error. So the knowledge and insights and verities and fine points and arguments and proofs that occur to them are so perfect and complete that it is a matter above the ordinary and other people cannot match them. They do not arise of themselves in their minds, but they are guided to them by a hidden understanding and Divine support, and it is through the strength of that understanding that they alight upon the mysteries and lights of the Quran, which cannot be acquired in the smoky light of reason alone. This kind of profound knowledge and insight that are bestowed upon them, and the fine points and deep insights relating to the Being and attributes of the Divine and to the life after death which are disclosed to them, are in their nature spiritual which in the estimation of the wise are higher and finer than material wonders. In the estimation of the wise the value and rank of the man of God are determined by these extraordinary gifts. These are the ornaments of their high rank and are the beauty of their countenance. It is a part of human nature that the awe of knowledge and true insights affects it most, and truth and understanding are dearer to it than everything else. If it were supposed that a pious person is granted visions and is given knowledge of hidden matters, and subjects himself to severe disciplines, and many extraordinary things are manifested by him, but that he is ignorant of the knowledge of the Divine so much so that he cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood, and is caught in wrong thinking and incorrect doctrine, and is weak and liable to error in every matter, he would appear as base and contemptible in the estimation of every sane person. A person who smacks of ignorance in the estimation of a wise one, and is disliked by those who hear him utter stupid things, cannot be respected by a wise one and appears contemptible, however pious and devoted he might be. This shows that spiritual wonders, that is to say, knowledge of the Divine and insights, are a necessary characteristic of the man of God and are special conditions for the recognition of the great wonders of the faith. These conditions are bestowed in a complete and perfect manner upon those who follow the Holy Quran to the full. Despite the fact by and large that many of them are unlettered and are not well versed in current subjects, they are so much in advance of their contemporaries in fine points and knowledge of the Divine that very often their opponents are surprised on hearing their speeches, or on reading their writings, and are forced to confess that their knowledge and insights belong to another world and bear the unique colour of Divine support. One proof of this is that if anyone who is opposed to them, seeks to compare their speeches on subjects relating to the Divine with anyone else's speech, he is forced to confess, provided he is just and honest, that truth resided in their speeches that they happen to deliver. As the discussion proceeds and becomes deeper many a fine argument emerges which would establish their being in the right, like a bright day. We are ready ourselves to furnish proof of this to every seeker after truth.

Another of these bounties is sinlessness, which is also termed Divine protection. This is also bestowed on the perfect followers of the Holy Quran as an extraordinary gift. By sinlessness we mean that they are safeguarded against undesirable habits and thoughts and morals and actions in which other people are involved day and night. If they happen to make a slip Divine mercy soon sets them right. It is obvious that the station of sinlessness is very delicate and is altogether at a distance from the demands of the self that incites to evil, and that its acquisition is not possible without special Divine attention. For instance, if an average person is asked that he should absolutely avoid telling a lie in everyone of his affairs and statements and professions and occupations, it becomes difficult and impossible for him. Even if he makes every effort towards this he is met with so many obstructions, that in the end it becomes his principle that in the affairs of the world it is impossible to avoid falsehood. But for those fortunate ones, who seek to follow the guidance of the Holy Quran with true love and eager determination, not only is it made easy that they should avoid telling lies, but they are granted strength to give up everything undesirable, and God Almighty by His perfect mercy, safeguards them on all ill occasions that would lead them to ruin, for they are the light of the world and in their security lies the security of the world, and their ruin means the ruin of the world. For this reason they are safeguarded in respect of every thought and knowledge and understanding, and wrath and passion and fear, and greed and constriction and prosperity, and joy and sorrow and hardship and ease, from all unworthy actions, and corrupt thoughts, and wrong knowledge, and improper conduct, and misguided reflections and every excess of their ego. They do not take their stand on anything undesirable, for God Almighty makes Himself responsible for their training and whenever He observes a dry branch in their blessed tree, He cuts it off with His benevolent hand. Divine support watches over them every moment. This blessing of immunity which is bestowed upon them is also not without proof. An intelligent person can satisfy himself in respect of it after keeping company with them for a short while. This pure spring is not available to anyone who denies them, but is made pleasant and agreeable for them. The light of understanding lends them such support that very often even without there being any resources and finding themselves far away from normal means, they lead such cheerful lives and pass their days in such prosperity as if they possessed thousands of treasures. Their countenances display the freshness of wealth and the steadfastness of the rich. They have perfect trust in their Lord in times of hardship with a cheerful heart and complete certainty. They are given to sacrifice and the service of people is their habit. Even if the whole world were to become members of their family, they would feel no constraint. They are grateful to God Almighty, Who covers up their shortcomings on every occasion. They are taken into the protection of the Divine before an unbearable calamity descends upon them, for God is their Guardian in all circumstances, as He has said:

[3]

Others are left to worldly trials and the extraordinary treatment that is accorded to these people is not accorded to anyone else. This characteristic of theirs can also be proved very soon by keeping company with them.

Another bounty is the personal love of God on which the perfect followers of the Holy Quran are established. Love of God so saturates their whole being that it becomes the be all and end all of their life. A wonderful love of the Divine surges up in their hearts and an extraordinary affection and eagerness take possession of them, which cut them off altogether from all others and the fire of Divine love is so lit up in them that on special occasions it becomes palpably perceptible to those who keep company with them. It becomes impossible for them to keep it hidden as it is impossible even for a worldly lover to hide his love for his beloved from his companions and associates. The love that penetrates their talk, and their looks, and their eyes, and their appearance, and their nature, and is manifested in their very hair, cannot be kept secret. Whatever they might do some sign of it is betrayed. The greatest sign of their sincerity is that they prefer their Beloved to everything else, and if they experience any hardships they view them as bounties on account of their excess of love, and torment becomes for them a sweet drink. No sharp sword can bring about separation between them and their Beloved and no great calamity can restrain them from His remembrance. They regard it as their very life, and find all their joy in it, and deem its existence as their own existence and consider it as the purpose of their lives. They are fond only of Him and find comfort only in Him. They have only Him in the world and become wholly His. They live for Him and die for Him. They are in the world but are outside the world, and possessing self they are selfless. They have no concern with honour, or name, or life, or comfort. They lose everything for the sake of the One and give up everything to find Him. They are consumed by an unperceived fire and cannot explain why they are consumed. They are deaf and dumb to every admonition, and are ready to endure every hardship and disgrace, and find their delight therein.

[4]

Also, there are other high moral qualities like generosity, bravery, sacrifice, high resolve, compassion, forbearance, modesty and friendship. All these qualities are also displayed by them by following the Holy Quran which they manifest with fidelity till the end of their lives, and no constraint can restrain them from exhibiting these qualities. The truth is that every good quality, whether intellectual or relating to conduct, or human power, the true cause of its manifestation is the grace of God. As these people are the recipients of Divine grace more than anyone else, God Almighty bestows all good qualities upon them through His endless grace. In other words, no one is truly good except God Almighty, and all high moral qualities and all virtues centre in Him. Then to the degree to which a person, discarding his self and his will, acquires nearness to the Being-Who-is-All-Good, to that degree Divine qualities are reflected in his soul. Thus all the good qualities and true culture that a person acquires proceed from his nearness to God. That is as it should be, for creatures are nothing in themselves. Thus the reflection of Divine moral qualities is manifested in the hearts of those who follow the Holy Quran perfectly. Authentic experience would show that the pure behaviour, and the spiritual eagerness, and the upsurge of love with which high moral qualities are manifested by them, are not equalled anywhere in the world. Others might claim and have boastful pretensions, but these are the only people who can pass safely through the narrow door of experience. Such good qualities as are manifested by other people are shown artificially by hiding their deficiencies and their diseases. They display a false culture and their reality is exposed on the occasion of every little test. They import artificiality and make-believe in the exercise of moral qualities, in order to maintain an orderly life; if they were to follow on all occasions their inner deficiencies, their way of life would be upset. Though they carry a seed of good qualities according to their natural capacity, it is mostly suppressed under the thorns of the desires of their ego. It is not manifested purely for the sake of God and is mixed up with selfish desires and cannot attain to perfection. This seed develops into perfection purely for the sake of God only in those people who are devoted wholly to God and whose souls are filled by God with His own pure qualities, as they are empty of everything beside God. He makes those high qualities as dear to their hearts as they are dear to Him. Through their devotion they acquire such a high rank of adorning themselves with Divine qualities that they become as it were, an instrument in the hands of God through which He manifests His own qualities. Finding them hungry and thirsty, He gives them to drink of pure water from His special spring in which no creature is His partner.

Another great bounty that is bestowed on the perfect followers of the Holy Quran is the state of complete submission to God. Despite their own excellences they keep an eye on their deficiencies and, in the presence of the greatness of God Almighty, pass all their time in humility, self-negation and meekness. They appreciate as their true reality humility and poverty and indigence, and being full of faults and mistakes. They deem the excellences that are bestowed on them like the temporary light which the sun casts upon a wall, and which has no real relationship with the wall, and is subject to decline like a borrowed garment. They ascribe all good and excellence to God, and deem His Perfect Being as the fountainhead of all good. By the observation of Divine qualities their hearts are filled with the certainty that they themselves are nothing, so that they are wholly lost to their own existence and desires and designs. The surging ocean of the majesty of the Divine so envelops their hearts that they experience a thousand types of nothingness, and they are wholly cleansed and purified of the least suspicion of associating anything with God." [Braaheen-e-Ahmadiyya, Roohaani Khazaa’in vol. 1 pp.532-543, footnote to footnote]

Translated from Urdu Poem

“The light of the Holy Quran has outshone every other light in its brilliance. Holy is He from Whom outflowed this river of a variety of luminescence.
The plant of the Oneness of God was about to wilt, when suddenly, this most purified fountain gushed forth out of the unseen
O, my God! this Distinguisher of Truth from Falsity (i.e., the Holy Quran) from Thee is a universe in itself; Whatever was needed was all found accessible in it
We have scouted the whole world and looked into all the stores, There was only one decanter of the profound perception of God
Nothing earthly can be found to serve as a similitude for that Light (of the Holy Quran); For it is proven to be incomparably singular in every aspect, every attribute
We initially conceived of this Distinguisher of Truth from Falsity as the Staff of Moses; But later reflection proved every word of it to be of Messianic effect
The spiritually blind have their own condition to blame; Otherwise that Luminary (the Holy Quran) has been blazing with the brilliance of a hundred suns
The life of those people in this world is utterly worthless, Whose heart remained blind in spite of the existence of this Divine Light.”

[Braaheen-e-Ahmadiyya, Roohaani Khazaa’in vol. 1, pp. 198-204]

Translated from Urdu Poem

“The beauty and grace of the Holy Quran is the life-giving light for every Muslim; Qamar is the moon of other people: our moon is the Holy Quran.
Its parallel cannot be found, I have given it much thought; And why wouldn't that be so, after all it is the Pure Word of the Gracious God.
Every word of it is fresh like an eternal spring; No garden has this quality, nor is any garden similar to it
The glorious Word of God is indeed peerless; Neither the legendary pearls from Oman nor the rubies from Badakhshan are any match for it
How can a mortal's word be equated with the Word of God; There is such a clear distinction between His transcendent Power and Authority and the abject lowliness of a mortal
Even angels have to necessarily concede their lack of knowledge in His Mighty Presence; Then how can it fall to the destiny of a mortal man to rival the Word of God?
Man cannot even create the puny leg of an insect; How can it then be alleged to be a simple matter for a human being to fabricate the Light of Truth?
O, ye people! pray observe the decorum of the Grandeur and Majesty of God; Hold your tongues even now, if you still have a modicum of faith left in you!
Setting up anyone as a peer of God is the height of disbelief; Show reverence for God; What manner of falsehood and calumny are you committing!
If you genuinely affirm the Unity of God; Then why is the tendency of “associating partners with God” (shirk) so deeply embedded in your hearts?
How unfortunately have the curtains of ignorance fallen on your hearts! You are in error, desist from it, if you have an iota of fear of God!
I am not the least bit maliciously motivated, my brethren! It is only a humble exhortation; Whoever exhibits purity of heart, I am ready to be lovingly devoted to him.”

[Braaheen-e-Ahmadiyya, Roohaani Khazaa’in
vol. 1, pp.305-306, note to footnote]

1
Proclaim, O Prophet: I am the Messenger of Allah to you all. (7:159)
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2
But We have not sent thee but as a mercy for all peoples. (21:108)
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3
He safeguards the righteous (7:197).
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4
It is love that covers (sic. the lovers) with the dust of disgrace; it is love that makes them sit on blazing fire.
No one risks his neck or sheds his life for the sake of someone else; it is love alone that causes this great task to be performed with such abandon.
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