Editor: Nasir Ahmad B.A. LL.B.July 2015

IN MEMORY OF JALAL-UD-DIN AKBAR IBN-I ABDULLAH, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Vol. No. 7, Issue No. 28

PageCONTENTS

Fasting – Humbling one’s heart for others 2Lauren Booth

A Handbook of Islam 3Dr Zahid Aziz

Fasting in Islam 5

Life is a struggle for a Higher Objective 7Mushtaq Ali

Growing up in Modern Britain 10Sis. Aroosa Khayam

The MINNA Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 12

News From Berlin 13Amir Aziz al-Azhari

News From Essequibo, Guyana 15Br Mansoor Baksh

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT…

FASTING – HUMBLING ONE’S HEART FOR OTHERS

INSPIRING EXPERIENCE OF SISTER LAUREN BOOTH

“And I knocked at the door. The mother opened the door, greet-ing me: ‘Assalamo alaikum wa rahmatullah-i wa barakatuh,’ she said. ‘Please come in.’

She was full of life! She was so full of light! Her eyes were shining! Her skin was shining, as well. She opened the door as if I was going into the Taj Mahal; as if she lived in the most beautiful place in the world. And when I went into her home, what was in her home? Nothing! Nothing! A room like this, but

empty. Only walls, floor and ceiling. And one rug, and the iftar for ten people was on the rug. And what was the iftar? One plastic plate of khubz and one plastic plate of khumz and one plastic plate of salad. So when I sat down I said: ‘No. No. No.’ By God! I tried not to eat. I persistently tried not to eat that food. But she kept on giving me that food. She said: ‘You are our guest,’ and she gave me so much and she would not take anything. And I ate. And I felt angry at Islam and I felt angry at the Book that it would tell hungry people to be hungry for 30 days. I felt angry at the Qur’an for telling this poor woman not to drink water when always her water was dirty. I said to the mother: ‘Why do you fast in Ramadan. Why? What is the point?’ She said to me: ‘I fast in Ramadan to remember the poor.’ This mother, who had nothing in this dunya. She never perhaps had anything in life. She was humbling her heart for other people who had less! What is this? This woman who knew only tribulations was emptying her stomach to thank God. For an empty stomach! What is this! And I thought at that moment if this is Islam, I want to be a Muslim!” (Transcription of an interview taken on 12 July 2015.)

Someone commented on it:

“Sister Lauren, the way you felt, and the way you thought and the way you interpreted the significance of fasting is AMAZING AS WELL AS INSPIRING. But do all those Muslims who enjoy lavish Iftaris ever thought of the fellow Muslims the way you felt? Please do drag the attention of the Muslims to the beauties of Islam the way you looked at it.”

* * *What the Qur’an says:

“Have you seen the one who belies religion? That is the one who is rough to the orphan, and urges not the feeding of the needy. So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayers! Who do good to be seen and refrain from acts of kindness!” – (107:1-7)

Lauren Booth *

* Sister Lauren Booth is sister-in-law of former Prime Minister of Britain Mr. Tony Blair

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INTRODUCING THE ABRIDGED EDITION

A HANDBOOK OF ISLAM

ABRIDGED EDITION OF THE RELIGION OF ISLAM

BY DR ZAHID AZIZ

The Religion of Islam by Maulana Muhammad Ali is a comprehensive, almost encyclopaedic, work, first pub-lished in 1936. It was immediately hailed by renowned Muslim scholars and intellectual leaders as a magnifi-cent book, and was described in their reviews as “greatly needed at the present day”, “exhaustive, bold and au-thentic”, “almost indispensable to the students of Islam”, and as revealing “great learning, deep research and a thorough mastery of the subject”.

Marmaduke Pickthall, famous British Muslim and a translator of the Quran into English, began his review of this book with the words: “Probably no man living has done longer or more valuable service for the cause of Islamic revival than Maulana Muhammad Ali of Lahore”.

He added that “in many Muslim countries we see persons eager for the reformation and revival of Islam, making mistakes through lack of just this knowledge”, the knowledge contained in this book.

A second edition of The Religion of Islam was published in 1950, during the author’s lifetime, with insignificant changes. In a brief note to that edition, he stated that he had been unable to add the two chapters, on The Ethics of Islam and The Muslim State, which he had promised in the preface of the first edition to add to the second edition. He had, however, dealt with these subjects briefly in some later books, to which he referred the reader for information on these topics.

The third edition of The Religion of Islam appeared in 1971. It was revised by the author’s son, Mr Muhammad Ahmad. The major part of the revision was to use Maulana Muhammad Ali’s later, 1951, edition of the English translation and commentary of the Quran, for the quotations in this book, and to add or amend some footnotes in accordance with that later work. Also, the two chapters, as mentioned above, were added from some of the Maulana’s later books. There were some stylistic revisions as well.

All subsequent editions of The Religion of Islam have been reprints of the 1971 edition, with correc-tions to some references.

Abridged edition just publishedDue to the all-comprehensive and highly detailed nature of the book, a need has been felt for an abridged version, more suiting the general reader. The book treats certain points of doctrine at a

Mr. Zahid Aziz delivering the sermon

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great depth which is necessary only for researchers and scholars. On the other hand, it provides de-tails regarding the practices of Islam for those who, in the past, had no other means of accessing the information; for example, full details of the conduct of prayer, which later became widely available. In this abridgment, entitled A Handbook of Islam, material and discussions of these kinds have been curtailed or omitted.

Under ‘Penal Laws’ a supplement by the Editor has been added in the manner of a footnote, to correct widespread misconceptions relating to Islamic laws in four areas. The material on the State and Ethics, as added in the 1971 edition, has been rechecked from the Maulana’s later books from which it had been added, and has been revised and expanded from the same books.

Most of the references to original sources have been rechecked, and references to the ‘Six Reliable’ collections of Hadith are now provided to easily accessible editions of these works in both Arabic and English.

A Handbook of Islam is available in electronic formats pdf, html and Kindle at the www.ahmadi-yya.org website from May 2015. Please visit the link:

www.ahmadiyya.org/books/hbi/

You can download it in pdf format to view and read it like a printed book. The html format is for quicker reading from the website. The Kindle format is for reading it on devices such as tablets and smartphones.

In the electronic formats, you can click in the List of Contents on any entry to take you to the place in the book where that heading is located. In the same way, the extensive Index at the end of the book is also ‘linked’, so that you can click on any entry in it and it takes you to the place in the book that the entry is pointing to.

In the html and Kindle versions, you can also click on a note number in the main text to reach that note (notes relating to a chapter are located at the end of each chapter). You can also click in the note (on the note number) to go to the main text at the point where that note reference occurs.

For further details, please visit the above link and read the Preface to the Abridged Edition.

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FASTING IN ISLAM

Fasting in Islam is a religious institution almost as universal as prayer. It is one of the five fundamen-tal practical ordinances. The Arabic word saum means abstaining (Raghib). In Islamic law it signifies abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn till sunset (2:187).

Institution of FastingIn was in the month of Ramadan in the second year of the Hijrah in Madinah that fasting was made obligatory. Before that, the Holy Prophet used to fast, as an optional devotion, on the tenth day of Muharram. It was also a fasting day for the Quraish. The origin of fasting may thus be traced to the time when the Holy Prophet was still in Makkah. After the flight to Madinah the Holy Prophet saw the Jews fasting on the tenth of Muharram in commemoration of the delivery of the Israelites from Pharaoh. He ordered Muslims also to observe this day as one of fasting and remarked that Muslims are nearer to Moses than Jews.

Fasting also fulfils a three-fold purpose: (1) to commemorate the beginning of the Qur’anic revela-tion, which took place in the month of Ramadan about thirteen years before the Holy Prophet’s mi-gration to Madinah; (2) to provide a compulsory exercise of self-discipline; and (3) to make everyone realize, through his or her experience, how it feels to be hungry and thirsty, and thus to gain a true appreciation of the person in need.

A universal institutionIn the Qur’an, the subject has been dealt with only in one place (2:183-188). It opens with the remark that it is a universal institution in all previous religions. This fact has been borne out by a reference to the religious history. The practice of fasting has been recognized well-nigh universally in all revealed religions, though the same stress is not laid on it, and forms and motives in each religion vary.

Present-day Christianity may not attach much value to it, but the Founder of Christianity not only kept fast for forty days but also observed it on the Day of Atonement, like a true Jew (Matt. 6:16, 17). The early Christians are also spoken of as fasting. Even St Paul, who had most influence on subsequent Christianity, fasted.

New meaning introduced by IslamCruden in his Bible Concordance remarks that fasting in all nations was resorted to “in times of mourning, sorrow and afflictions”. David is mentioned as fasting for seven days during the illness of his infant son (II Sam. 12:16, 18). Besides the Day of Atonement, according to Mosaic law, fasting on various other days came into vogue after the Exile of the Children of Israel “in sorrowful com-memoration of various sad events which had been issued in the downfall of the kingdom of Judah” (Ency. Britannica).

The idea underlying this voluntary suffering in the form of a fast in times of sorrow and affliction seems to have been to gain the favour of an angry Deity and excite compassion in Him. The idea that fasting was an act of penitence seems gradually considered to be due to sin, and thus it became an outward expression of the change of heart brought about by repentance.

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It was in Islam that the practice received a highly developed significance. Though the Qur’an speaks of expiatory or compensatory fasts in certain cases of violation of the Divine law, yet these are quite distinct from the obligatory fasting in the month of Ramadan. Fasting, as an institution, is here made a spiritual, moral and physical discipline of the highest order.

By making the institution permanent, all ideas of distress, affliction and sin are dissociated from it, while its true object is made plain by using the word “tattaqun”, that is, “that you may guard”. The word ittiqa, from which tattaqun is derived, means guarding of a thing from what harms or injures (Raghib). The object of ittiqa in all cases is fulfilment of obligations enjoined by Allah (4:1). In fact, in the language of the Qur’an, to be a muttaqi is to attain to the highest stage of spiritual development.

A spiritual disciplineFasting, according to Islam, is primarily a spiritual discipline. While speaking of Ramadan, the month in which fasting is ordained, the Qur’an specially refers to nearness to God, as if its attainment were an aim in fasting (2:186). In tradition, too, special stress is laid on the fact that the seeking of Divine pleasure should be the ultimate object of fasting: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan, having faith in Me and seeking My pleasure” (Bukhari, 2:28). The Holy Prophet also said: “Fasting is a shield, so the faster should not indulge in foul speech; he refrains from food and drink and other desires to seek My pleasure: fasting is only for Me and I shall reward it” (Bukhari, 30:2).

No temptation is greater than the temptation of satisfying one’s thirst and hunger when drink and food are in one’s possession, yet this temptation is overcome not once or twice, but day after day regularly for a whole month, with a set purpose of drawing closer and closer to the Divine Being. Whenever a new temptation comes before him, he overcomes it, because just at the critical mo-ment, there is an inner voice, “God is with me”, or “God sees me”. Not the deepest devotion can of itself develop that sense of the nearness to God and His presence which fasting day after day for a whole month does. The Divine presence, which may be a matter of faith to others, becomes reality for him. A new consciousness of a higher life, a life above that which is maintained by eating and drinking, has been awakened in him. And this is the life spiritual.

A moral disciplineThere is also a moral discipline underlying fasting, for it is a training ground where man is taught the greatest moral lesson of his life: that he should be prepared to suffer the greatest and hardest trial than indulge in that which is not permitted to him. Just as physical exercise strengthens man physically, moral exercise through fasting strengthens the moral side of his life. The idea that ev-erything unlawful must be avoided and that evil must be hated is thus developed through fasting. Another aspect of the moral development of man by this means is to conquer his physical desires. Fasting for one month in the year teaches him the higher lesson that instead of being the slave of his appetites and desires, he should be their master. Thus the man who is able to rule his desires is the man who has attained to true moral greatness. (Abridged from The Religion of Islam by Maulana Muhammad Ali)

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LIFE IS A STRUGGLE FOR A HIGHER OBJECTIVE

BR MUSHTAQ ALI, SECRETARY, UK JAMA‘AT

(Text of Friday sermon delivered at the Lahore Ahmadiyya Centre at Wembley, London, on 30 May 2015)

“And certainly man was created to face difficulties” (90:4).

The rubber bandIf we take a rubber band and just hold it in our hand, we see it has no use to us. However, if we stretch and twist it we see it takes on different shapes, sizes and even strengths, and then it fulfils the purpose for which it was created.

Going through the pages of the Holy Qur’an we see that the human being has to be stretched through difficulties, nurtured and to grow in order to take on a different form or to achieve a higher purpose in life.

The Qur’an points to this fact thus: “Do people think they will be left to say, We believe, and not be tried?” (29:2).

In order to nourish and grow our physical strength we need food and exercise. In the same way, we also need to make effort and so face difficulties in order to grow our spiritual selves. The Holy Qur’an says: “Successful indeed is he who causes it to grow. And he indeed fails who buries it” (91:9-10).

The Merciful God has created human beings to learn about Him and has prescribed the methodol-ogy to fulfil the real purpose of their existence. “We have not created the jinn and the men except that they may worship Me” (51: 56), says Allah.

At the very inception of revelation to mankind, Allah said to the angels: “I am going to place a ruler in the earth,” to which the angels replied: “Why will thou place in it such as make mischief and cause bloodshed while we extol Thy praises?” Allah responded by saying: “I know that which you know not” (2:30).

This verse reveals that the nature of mankind as that of a mischievous being and as someone who will even cause bloodshed in order to have his way.

Most Muslims look at this verse and claim that this is when Allah chose to place Adam (as) on earth. However, a deeper understanding of the verse shows that for the angels to have given such a response then they would have had to witness “bloodshed and mischief” from amongst pre-Adamic civilisation and this is why they were able to describe the nature of mankind.

The Qur’an says that “man is created weak” (4:28), and: “man is created of haste” (21:37). So when Allah said to the angels, “I know that which you do not,” deep within the knowledge of Allah

Mr. Musthaq Ali

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lies the true power of human endurance and submission despite man being “weak, hasty and even murderous.”

So, just as a rubber band has to be stretched to fulfil the purpose for which it was created, so too the human being has to be stretched in order to truly experience the divine in this life.

“Seeing is believing” is a well-known saying. A brief study of all faiths reveals that Islam and Judaism are probably the only two religions that do not have an image of a deity or person that is considered to be God. So here faith is stretched by asking its followers to have faith in a Being Who is “unseen”: “who believe in the Unseen, and Allah and the Last Day” (2:2-4).

The Qur’an asks its followers to believe in a God Whom they cannot see, to believe in the Last Day, which they have no idea when it will occur, and to believe in a Paradise which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart can ever conceive of; such is the asking in Islam of a believer – a great task indeed! (This can be called stretching the limits of faith.)

Physical StretchThe Qur’an says to mankind: “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you may develop discipline [become righteous]” (2:188).

Here, the physical nature of mankind is stretched, especially in the long hours of summertime. For some people, climbing Mount Everest or trekking across the North Pole is the real test of human endurance. However, if these adrenaline junkies or those who have conquered these areas of the globe are asked to give up food, water and all other comforts, perhaps they will be able to bear the hardship as they have gone through the exercise of stretching their physical endurance.

The underlying secret of the physical stretch is to fulfil a higher purpose, namely, the uncovering of the “soul and its perfections” (91: 7).

The Merciful God has wisely prescribed certain abstentions for the development and progress of man’s physical and spiritual faculties. The month of Ramadan provides such an exercise on a regular basis. We are even given a social responsibility as we are given the opportunity to feed a poor person three meals to compensate if we are unable to fast. Herein lies the mercy of the One God in that He gives us the opportunity to stretch ourselves and earn the blessings of Ramadan although we cannot fast. The balance being if you are going to feed a poor person three meals, you must give them the same quality and quantity of food that you would have had yourself. So, in a manner of speaking, this is stretching your wealth in order to compensate for being unable to stretch your physical self.

How gracious is the God of all mankind that He gave every people the same opportunity to benefit from this institution. A close look at all faiths demonstrates the existence of Islamic fast in some form or other to be found in their text and rituals.

The spiritual stretchThe next opportunity for mankind to fulfil the purpose of his existence is to perform prayer (salah). The Muslim is required to pray five times a day; give up his sleep in the early hours of the morning when most others are asleep; give up some of his lunch break at mid-day (Zuhr); interrupt his teatime

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with prayer (Asr); end the day with Maghrib, and commence his night with Isha. Most persons who have a busy work schedule would say, what an inconvenience!

The financial stretchA Muslim is also required to “pay the poor-rate” (22: 41). According to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas), it is prohibited for a Muslim to beg. It is reported that once a man went to the Holy Prophet begging. The Holy Prophet told him: “It is better to bring wood and sell than to beg.” In another hadith, it is narrated: “It is better for anyone of you to take a rope and bring a bundle of wood over his back and sell it, and Allah will save his face because of that, rather than to ask the people who may or may not give” (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, Book of Zakat, No. 1471).

So, when Muslim are asked to pay the poor-rate, to give charity, feed the poor, look after orphans, all of these require that Muslims should be gainfully employed or have a mechanism of income such that they are not a burden on the state and are able to meet the dictates of the Qur’an. Thus, they are required to stretch themselves financially not only to pay taxes but to do more as well.

Intellectual stretchKnowledge

“Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” – (Al-Tabrani)“Seek knowledge though it be in China.” – (Hadith)“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.”The Prophet Muhammad said: “The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.” – (Al-Tirmidhi, No. 74)“And say: My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” – (Holy Qur’an, 20:114)“Read in the name of your Lord.” – (Holy Qur’an, 96: 1)

All these instructions from God and the Holy Prophet suggest that the acquisition of knowledge is of utmost importance for a Muslim.

The Qur’an contains so many scientific facts it bewilders me that Muslims still wait to see the moon, for example, but they are quick to acknowledge new scientific discoveries which are in accordance with the Qur’an. Interestingly, most scientific discoveries have all been made by non-Muslims. It seems that the non-Muslims are the ones who are exerting/stretching themselves in the search for new knowledge and inadvertently obey the command of God and the Holy Prophet while Muslims continue to regress into Jahiliyyah. Non-Muslims are the ones who go to Muslim countries and teach surgery, medicine and language. This is indeed a great embarrassment for Muslims who were the ones responsible for the Renaissance in Europe and the West.

The culmination of all the different types of stretchFinally, all faiths have some form of pilgrimage to a holy shrine. Christians go to Jerusalem, Catholics go to Rome, Hindus go to several shrines and ashrams, Buddhists go to Tibet to see the Dali Lama, and Jews visit the Wailing Wall and the Temple of Solomon. Islam makes it compulsory to perform the Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca) once in one’s life. This is no simple feat. It requires financial resources as well as good health. One must also have enough provision for one’s family to sustain them during one’s absence to the Holy Land.

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This journey provides a Muslim certain prescribed physical and spiritual exercises to fulfil the role assigned to him as vicegerent of God on earth. It also reminds him of the Promise that Allah made to His friend, Abraham: “And when We made the House a resort for men and a place of security. And take ye the place of Abraham for a place of prayer. And We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael saying: Purify My House for those visit it and those who bow down and those who prostrate themselves” (2:125); “The Safa and Marwa are truly among the Signs of Allah” (2:156).

This recurring blessing every year demonstrates to the whole world the promise of Allah to Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael and the Holy Prophet Muhammad. It is living proof that the Qur’an is a living Book and Islam a living religion in which prophecies of the Qur’an and the Bible are lived out every year for all deniers to see.

In conclusion, the Qur’an tells us we need to exert ourselves in order to reap the good things of this life and the next. The question is: Do we really wish to fulfil the role assigned to us?

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GROWING UP IN MODERN BRITAIN

SIS. AROOSA KHAYAM, MILTON KEYNES

(Text of a talk delivered at the iftar meeting held on 4 July 2015 in Wembley, London)

This is my first speech at the Lahore Ahmadiyya Centre in Wembley, so please bear with me.

The title of my talk today is, “Growing up in modern Britain.” It is Part Two, as Part One was given by my son some nine years ago in this very place. But that’s another story….

Though I was brought up here in England and consider myself modern, I have actually realised that I am quite conservative. It does not mean that I am

against the new developments taking place in various walks of life or the progressive ideas which have gone a long way in making Britain a developed country. I take modernism as adapting new ideas and ways which are conducive to a wholesome individual and social life. The Holy Qur’an has used the word falah for it, meaning progress of human life in the right direction.

My basic education in Islam was taught to me by my mother, and as I grew older, by my uncle, Nasir Ahmad Sahib, who has also taken it upon himself to teach my children. Jazak Allah.

It’s not easy growing up in a land that is alien to your home lifestyle and culture. I mean that one wants to wear clothes to blend in rather than attire which can make one stand out in the crowd, the majority of which is British. “But wait,” we say, “we’re all British.” Apparently not, if you have to write

Aroosa Khayam

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British Asian and then further have to specify which part of the Asian sub-continent you’re affiliated with. You have guessed right. I have filled out many forms in my lifetime.

The familiarities were the Bible stories taught at school in Religious Education. Yes! Abraham, Ishmael, David, Solomon, Joseph, Moses and Jesus. This made me think that we had some things in common. Later on, when I went further into religious history, I realised that the Crusades against the Moors was actually the Christians against the Muslims!

That was a little digression.

Present-day BritainBack in the day, society in Britain had a better moral code than what we see now or what is shown on the media; the sanctity of marriage was still prevalent and people regularly went to church. Hmmm. Sunday school! There’s a story: Let’s take these children to do some art activities and we can do some missionary work at the same time. I’m so glad my mum understood this subtle way of taking children to the church. Generally though it was easy to talk to friends about those things that were common to both societies.

Have things changed over the years? Yes, definitely. More individual ‘independence’ has made youth disrespectful, violent, less patient in fulfilling their desires and wishes; marriages are not much desired nor encouraged and more living-together is, as if ‘married’ has taken this other form. But some things haven’t changed: the need to fit in and not feel different, especially for our children. But, do you know what? Been there, done that!

We are different!We are different, so let’s embrace our differences and acknowledge them. If you’re a Muslim, that dictates your life and the choices that you make because there’s a certain path to follow, not allowing you to go everywhere or do everything. There’s a reason for this, being the long term consequences that you may not quite understand at the moment but eventually things will click into place and sometime in the future you might be saying, “Do you know what? In hindsight, my parents were right. So, where exactly do I want to fit in?” A simple answer would be to fit into your religion. If things fall easily into place then that is what Allah has decided for you, and if there are obstacles in the way then the reason is the same: it’s Allah’s decision.

If you accept Islam as a complete way of life and live within the boundaries decreed by Allah, your life will be less complicated. How you are as a person will remain the same whether you’re at home or in education/work etc. and your non-Muslim friends will appreciate your stance on not joining in with certain social gatherings, viz. the staff Christmas party, the school disco, etc. You can see that’s the Teaching Assistant in me talking.

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THE MINNA FOUNDATION, YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA

(Br Yatimin AS. graduated from: (1) Government Elementary School, Klagen Karangmojo, Magetan, East Java, Indonesia, in 1970; (2) Government Religion Teacher Education School, Madiun, East Java, Indonesia, in 1977; (3) The Muhammadiyah Private Institute of Teacher and Education Science, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 1989.

He completed a two-year missionary course at The Muslim Missionary Seminary that was maintained by the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at-i Islam, Lahore, Pakistan, in 1983.

In this issue, we are publishing a brief introduction of the educa-tional institute founded and run by Br Yatamin. In the next issue, insha Allah, we will publish a detailed report of Br Yatamin’s one-month long tour of Suriname and his talks on radio and meetings in Javanese community. – Ed.)

The MINNA Human Empowerment Foundation (or MINNA Foundation) was founded on July 20, 1999, with the Notary

Document of Mrs Sri Rahayu Daryono, SH. Number 3, July 20, 1999

Address: Simping, Tirtoadi, Mlati, Sleman, D.I. Yogyakarta 55287, Indonesia

Telephone: 62 274 7406642 / Mobile: 62 8122758504

Email: yayasan.minna@gmail.com

BackgroundThere are four considerations and objectives for establishing this Foundation:

1. To realize the national ideal of integrating the Indonesian people by enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong (amar bil ma’ruf and nahi ’anil munkar).

2. In social life, to educate and empower people to utilize their time, physical and mental faculties and wealth more effectively, thus yielding greater benefits and becoming more useful citizens.

3. To provide professional knowledge, expertise and guidelines to people belonging to various cadres who are upright, competent and resilient in order to identify the economic problems of the country in view of globalization and free market economy, find ways and means to develop indigenous resources to compete in the world market, and at the same time provide safeguards to the social and religious values of the country.

4. The Arabic word minna means “from us”. This implies all possible sincerity and devotion of the Foundation to achieve its objectives. The motto “From us for all” further emphasizes the collective objective of the Foundation and its firm conviction and commitment.

VisionTo educate and train groups of highly educated and capable people.

Staff of the MINNA Foundation

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Mission1. Organize non-formal schooling to increase people’s level of education and capabilities.2. Organize teaching methods to match the needs of the ordinary person.3. Organize refresher courses providing know-how and economic guidelines, and, if possible, facil-

ities to improve the quality of life of the common man.4. Instil religious values, especially ‘ibadah (obedience to Allah), with sincere intention in every

activity with a view to persons achieving higher morals.

Activities1. Organize English, Urdu and Arabic classes.2. Organize Islamic study groups which can provide impetus and guidelines to Muslim students.

The Foundation BoardChairman: Dr H. Yatimin AS

Secretary: Prof. Dr Haji Tina Afiatin, M.Si., Psi

Treasurer: Nadia Mufida

Public Relations Officers: Sofia Nurvita, S.Psi, Hanif Akhtar

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NEWS FROM BERLIN

BY AMIR AZIZ AL-AZHARI

21 June, 2015With the blessings of Allah, I participated in the 16th Berlin Poetry Festival. The theme was the Torah, the Bible and the Quran. The programme started with a speech by the Director, Mr Leopold von Verschev, who said: “This theme came to my mind when I visited the oldest mosque of Berlin and met Imam Amir Aziz. I learnt about Islam and the Koran and what the name of Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore stands for. I also learnt about various sects of Islam and read different commentaries of the Holy Koran.”

The programme went very well. Islam and Qur’anic teachings were presented and were appreciated. The result was that many expressed their wish to visit the Mosque.

30 June 2015I attended World Scriptures Dialogue in the Mayor House of Berlin. Representatives of all religions presented their views on Sin, Paradise and Hell. I presented the Islamic view. There were other Imams also from various Muslim institutions. Alhamdu lil Allah, in the interval all the Imams came to me and said that the Islamic view presented was rational and impressive. At the end, Imams from Africa, Iraq, Turkey and others asked me about our Mosque and Mission. They invited me to

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visit them. The organization which planned the programme made us its permanent member. It was inspiring for me to see that the Ahmadiyya interpretation of the Islamic teachings was appreciated in interfaith conferences.

A delegation from Denmark Church visited the Mosque and we had a one-hour discussion about Islam and the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.

Mr Gedeon, an author from Berlin, also visited the Mosque. He contributes articles about religion in various newspapers. He was given the German translations of Holy Quran and The Religion of Islam, and The History of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in the UK and Europe. He was much impressed by our literature. The subjects discussed were the basic philosophy of Islam, the true concept of Islam and the true position of the Lahore Movement vis-à-vis the Qadian section.

A young Albanian man also visited and was given a copy of Islam, Peace and Tolerance by Dr Zahid Aziz.

2 July 2015A group of students from Hannah Hoch School, Berlin visited the Mosque. They were from the USA on an exchange programme to Germany. A one-hour lecture and question/answer session was conducted.

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Dialogue of Scriptures

A School from Berlin Students from USA

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Poetry Festival June 2015

NEWS FROM ESSEQUIBO, GUYANA

BR MANSOOR BAKSH

Forthcoming events of the Anjuman:July 17, 2015 - Eid ul Fitr…

July 19, 2015 - Eid Social at Henrietta

July 25, 2015 - Eid Social at Brickdam, Georgetown

July 28-31, 2015 - Youth Camp at Bartica

August 8 2015 - Executive meeting...

September 6 2015 - Jehad Meeting…

September 27 2015 - Mashabo Feeding ….

March 24-28, 2016 - Annual Jalsa….

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blessings of Allah be on him). LOVE also generates peace and happiness in the society. Follow the commandments of ALLAH and His Messenger, the Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD and earn an ever-lasting life here in this world and in the Hereafter. May Allah bless you all.

Ahmad Nawaz, Hayward, California I have just finished reading the February 2013 issue of the HOPE Bulletin dedicated to the memory of the late Br. Akbar Abdullah. I must say that your team has worked very hard to collect facts about the life and contributions made by our late Br. Akbar. The formatting of the Bulletin and photographs have made it very impressive and visual. Br. Akbar deserved such a beautiful dedication. I wish to congratulate you for making the Bulletin more than just a news bulletin. The brief life history of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) by our new sister in the fold of Islam, Christiane Backer, is very impressive and shows how his Perfect Example has inspired her thoughts and behaviour. I am sure her book “From MTV to Mecca” must be worth reading. Thanks for introducing the autobiography of a highly popular figure in the Western media, who, by her own study, has adopted Islam, and is facing challenges with firm faith and conviction.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The HOPE Bulletin E-mail address: thehopebulletin@hotmail.com

ISLAM stands for: I SHALL LOVE ALL MANKIND

Photographs : Mr. Amir Aziz and Sirat SheikhDesign & Formatting : Erwan Hamdani, Jakarta, Indonesia