From: khalid@bu-bio.bu.edu (Rasheed A. Khalid)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.iranian,soc.culture.afghanistan,soc.culture.arabic
Subject: MIRZA TAHIR AHMAD ON THE BABRI MOSQUE INCIDENT
Date: 13 Dec 92 19:56:25 GMT
Followup-To: soc.culture.pakistan
Organization: Biology Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA


Dear friends,

I got a request from Dr Nadeem Malik to post this for him.  It is a
sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth successor of
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who claimed to be the Promised Messiah to
reform the people of this age.  It is one of the regular sermons he
delivers every Friday and this one is on the burning issue of the
Babri Mosque incident.  Thanks.
Yours,
Rasheed.
(Boston)
	*************************************************

From nadeem@p.igp.ethz.ch Sun Dec 13 11:16:43 1992
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Date: Sun, 13 Dec 92 17:02:40 +0100
From: Nadeem Malik <nadeem@p.igp.ethz.ch>

	  Khutba-Jumma (Friday Sermon) 11th Decmeber 1992

				by

	 Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, The Khalifat-ul Masih IV,
	   Supreme Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement In Islam.

				at

		The Al-Fazal (London) Mosque, England.



KEYWORDS: Babri Mosque; reasons for disasters; warning to Muslims;
	  message for Muslims to change.


	(Reported by Dr. Nadeem Ahmad Malik, ETH Zurich.)


(This is a summary of Huzur's Sermon, which I am writing from memory --
I saw it live via satellite at 1.30pm GMT. Any inaccuracies or erors
are mine. I have added some explanatory comments of my own which are enclosed 
within  square brackets, [ ], for the sake of those who may not be familiar 
some of the concepts mentioned. Those who wish to hear the origininal are 
invited to contact me, and I can arrange for video/auio cassette to be sent. 
The original is in Urdu.)


After Sura al-Fatiah:

In The Name of Allah The Gracious, The Merciful.

When we look at the present situation of the Muslim world, and see that
they are suffering a catalog of hardships, pains and humiliations. 
[The humiliation of 1000 million Muslims by a few million Jews in Israel;
the senseless carnage of the Iran-Iraq War; the destruction of Afghanistan;
The recent Gulf War; famines in Somalia and Ethiopia; the genocide of Muslims
in Bosnia while Muslims and the rest of the world stands by; Muslims 
permanantly against each other; and now the Babri Mosque in India]. The 
question naturally arises as what is the meaning behind all of this -- is 
Allah trying to tell Muslims something?

When we study the Quran, we see that persecution and hardship are of two 
kinds; (1) upon the fortunate ones as a means of trial and (2) upon the 
unfortunate ones as a punishment or as a warning. The destinction between 
the two lies chiefly in the response of those who are oppressed. 

The righteous, inspite of the immediate suffering and sorrow, rally togteher
and become stronger in unity. They see hadship as a opportunity to renew 
and strengthen their faith. They remain cheerful and trust in Allah. Most
importantly, Allah provides means for their survival and ultimately 
they are the ones who end up as the victors and masters. [The persecution
of Ahmadi Muslims is a perfect example; the Muslims world over have been
trying for a century to silence tjhem in every way; but by the Grace of
Allah, this sermon is reaching every part of the world, even in Pakistan it
is carried live. We are the first, and only so far, Muslim Movement to 
broadcast live Friday Sermons Worldwide. One wonders why the staunchly Islamic
Republics of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have not thought about it. This is a 
clear victory for Allah and his true community.]

For the wicked and rebellious, disasters repeatedly visit them. At every
disaster they are left smarting, non-plussed and confused. Rather than
rally together, they break apart even further. Every disaster weakens them
further, and they become subject to ridicule and humiliation. Allah does not
destroy them at once because He is Merciful and maybe some people from
among them will finally be enlighten, like the people of Prophet Jonah.

The recent history of the World of Islam makes it clear that Muslims are
subject to the second kind of disasters and that they are being warned
by Allah to chanmge their ways and behave in a better way. What is really
lamentable about the situation is that whereas the rest the world has at
least some political intelligence, if not faith and sincerity, to 
recognise their own interests and protecting their peolpe, Muslims seem to be 
totally blind to this also. They shout and scream the most extreme messages
of hate, without stopping to think how other people will react against 
Muslims in their countries.

[Every catastrophy upon the Muslim world has served only to highlight the
hypocracy, disunity and animosity between Muslims. During the Gulf war, most
Muslim countries invited the materialist Western powers to destroy a 
fellow Muslim power.]

So what should Muslims do?

Quran says that God does not change a people until they themselves change. 
This means that Muslims will have to first show signs of repentance, good will
tolerance and love for mankind in general. If they display these qualities
then Allah will help them and bring a change also in their circumstances
at every level; politcal, economic, social, moral and spiritual. But
until they change, more disaster and humiliation will continue to visit 
them, an at each stage they will become weaker and more disunited. 

Turning to the Babri Mosque incidence. Why does Allah allow Mosques to fall 
into ruin and idolatory? Look at the Kabba, the frist House of Allah, even
it was not spared. So the Babri Mosque is not an unprecedented situation.
So long as the Muslims are sincere worshippers of Allah, Allah protects their 
Mosques from decay and misuse. If they repent, as when the Holy Prophet 
came in Mecca, even impossible odds can be overcome -- bigger odds than what
Muslims face in India. The Muslims evetually became masters of Arabia. But the
opposite is true in this situation now. Muslims, while forming more than
11% of the population, are totally helpless to say anything. And as for the 
response of Muslims, it deserves every bit as much condemnation as the 
fanatical Hindus who destroyed the Mosque. 

Islam does not give permission for revenge to be extacted upon other
individuals under any circumstances. The most is that revenge can be exacted
only upon those individuals who perpertrated the crime. The Sunna of the 
Holy Prophet shows that he did not ever punish a whole people just because
some individuals from them committed some crime. The reaction of Muslims in
the Indian Subcontinent only exposes their hypocracy and how far they are
from Islam. Their action, in fact, shows that you cannot simply label the Babri
Mosque insidence as an example of 'Hindu' hatred against Muslims, because 
Muslims themselves are doing the same things against Hindus. What was the crime 
of the Hindu women and children who were burnt in Pakistan and Bangladesh?

In this respect, at least the Arab countries have shown greater sense -- 
although their motives are not clear, whether it was out of genuine faith 
or a political gesture to keep strong ties with India. All Arab countries
with Hindu minorities have made a firm stand against any destruction of
Temples or harm to Hindus.

Similarly, The Indian Government has displayed more level headedness --
although even their motives are not entirely clear. At least these poeple
have shown greater intelligence and sense. But Muslims in India -- none of it.
They are openly calling for Jehad upon all Hindus without any basis, even
when it is clear that most Hindus themselves are against the destruction 
and most newspapers have condemned it. The Indian Government has even promised 
to rebuild the Mosque.

Meanwhile Muslims have lost an opportunity to display tollerance, intelligence
and love for humanity and, especially, their love for Islam.


Do not these Muslims consider that when they kill a Hindu or 
destroy a Temple, how many Muslims will be killed and Mosques are destroyed in 
India? This shows that they really do not even care much about Muslims. More
Muslims are killed simply because Hindus are there in much larger numbers;
but the basic evil driving both the communities is the same. You cannot 
distinguish bewteen the two.

Comparing this situation with the destruction of Ahmadiyya Mosques in Pakistan
and Bangladesh shows the depth of hypocracy of Muslims. They claim that they
have destroyed the Hindu Temples as reprisal for the Babri Mosque, because
they love Islam and Allah. And yet these were the same people who have, by
law, destroyed Ahmadi Mosques -- these are also places of worship. 10 Ahmadi 
Mosques  have been destroyed and looted so far, and Sunnis have taken over 
some of them and now say their paryers there. This shows that this incidence
is not about religious sentiments at all. It is purely about national rivalry 
and hatred between sections of peoples.

The Muslims scream against India, for world condemnation. They point out that 
the local police and soldiers were helping the fanatical Hindus to destroy the
Babri Mosque. But exactly the same was true when Ahmadi Mosques were being
detroyed and looted, and Qurans were being burnt. Newspapers and politicians
didn't raise a cry. Only in Bangladesh, most newspapers did strongly condemnn
the destruction of Ahmadi Mosque in Dacca. The Government of India has acted
more honorably in this situation. They have strongly condemned the bestruction,
dissolved the provincial government, and promised to rebuild the Mosque. 
What have the Sunni Muslims promised to Ahmadi Muslims?

All of this is a sign and a warning to Muslims the world over -- Allah is
telling them that they are far from the right path and that they should 
repent. Muslims should reform themselves and change their ways. They should 
love humanity, uphold the rights of all people. Learn from this lesson what 
is to be learnt. Only then will Allah love you and change your circumstances.
Inshallah.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Nadeem Malik, nadeem@p.igp.ethz.ch










   

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