By Shaikh Fatehuddin*
Over a century ago, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), who was born in Qadian, a city in Gurdaspur district, situated 18 kilometres northeast of Batala city in Punjab, India, emphatically declared that an aggressive “jihad by the sword” has no place in Islam. In its place, he taught his followers to wage a bloodless, intellectual “jihad of the pen” to defend Islam. To this end, Ahmad penned over 90 books and tens of thousands of letters, delivered hundreds of lectures, and engaged in scores of public debates. His rigorous and rational defences of Islam unsettled conventional Muslim thinking.
As part of its effort to revive Islam, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, that he founded, continues to spread Ahmad’s teachings of moderation and restraint in the face of bitter opposition from parts of the Muslim world.
Ahmad’s advent brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival. He divested Islam of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings. He also recognized the noble teachings of the great religious founders and saints, including Zoroaster, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu and Guru Nanak, and explained how such teachings converged into the one true Islam.
The real purpose of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is to strengthen the relationship between humans and Allah (God) and to promote love, brotherhood, and harmony among people.
Today, the world is moving rapidly towards a great disaster. To avoid this disaster, we must turn towards Allah (God) and establish a model of justice and fairness that can only be achieved when every person likes for their brother what they like for themselves.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, has given beautiful teachings. He said that “what you like for yourself, you should like for others as well”. As a result of acting on this teaching, a person can establish justice and fairness in the world.
The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad came to fulfil this mission. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community works towards this mission by raising the slogan “Love for All, Hatred for None” and engaging in work for the betterment of society worldwide.
The Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long-awaited Messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. Ahmad claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes that God sent Hazrat Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. It is the only Islamic organization to endorse a separation of mosque and state.
Over a century ago, Ahmad taught his followers to protect the sanctity of both religion and government by becoming righteous souls as well as loyal citizens. He cautioned against irrational interpretations of Quranic pronouncements and misapplications of Islamic law. He continually voiced his concerns over protecting the rights of God’s creatures.
Today, it continues to be an advocate for universal human rights and protections for religious and other minorities. Peace Symposiums are one of its flagship events around the world. This event aims to achieve the larger goal of attaining peace in society by bringing people from diverse walks of life together and providing them with a forum to exchange ideas and experiences on its attainment in today’s pluralistic society worldwide. The event not only brings diverse people together but fosters deep bonds of understanding and brotherhood among them.
In India, it holds this Symposium in different cities of the country. The event is organized annually in the national capital, Delhi. Similarly, its chapters in Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Jammu, Chennai and Calicut regularly hold this event in their respective cities.
India being home to different philosophies, religions, cultures and schools of thought, the event becomes a centre of diverse knowledge where all these ideas and views are discussed. Peace Symposiums also demonstrate the true spirit of pluralism, which is a long-held quality of Indian society. The symposium, which is a key event of the community, promotes a deeper understanding of Islam and other faiths and seeks to inspire a concerted effort for lasting peace.
The Community is the foremost Islamic organization with a central spiritual leader, known as the Khalifa of Islam. Its fifth and current spiritual head, His Holiness the Khalifa of Islam MirzaMasroor Ahmad, resides in the United Kingdom.
Islam teaches Muslims to share in the grief and suffering of their companions and neighbours and also advises them to participate in their happiness. Following this beautiful teaching, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community organizes Eid Milan programmes to celebrate Eid all over India, in which without ill will or discrimination dignitaries of all religions and sects are invited to celebrate the happiness of this festival.
Festivals like Eid bring people closer together, promoting brotherhood and love among neighbours and strengthening friendly cultural relations. Such occasions provide opportunities for mutual introduction and exchange of ideas.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at New Delhi organized an Eid Milan party on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at the Constitution Club of India. The event saw participation from various walks of life and was presided over by Maulana Makhdum Shareef, the Additional Executive Director of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at India.
People from different walks of life joined this event, including Goswami Sushil Ji Maharaj, national president of Bhartiya Sarv Dharm Sansad, former Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Mankande Rai, Senior Advisor UN-HAITAT, Priyaranjan Trivedi, Founder Chancellor, Indira Gandhi Technological and Medical Sciences University, Arunachal Pradesh, and Member of Parliament Manoj Tigga, among others.
India is where people from different religions and cultures live together with love and harmony. In this great country, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community strives to promote interfaith harmony and brotherhood.
*The writer is the vice president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, New Delhi
