Azam Ali, an Ahmadi Moslem
Chapter 14 – None But Allah
Laa aiy-laa-ha il-la ul-laa-ha
The one phrase to describe what my father’s mission in life was Laa Ilaa-ha Il-lul-laa-ha. (See Phrase Allaa-ho-aa-hud meaning Allah is One). He believed in it. He spread it right, left and everywhere. He shared it with his family and villagers. He trained his children that way.
The phrase is in Arabic language. It has four words. Laa (= No or none), aiy-laa-ha (= GOD, worthy of worship), il-la (= Except) and Allah (= GOD Almighty). The phrase means that one worships Only One GOD. Spreading it means that one urges other to worship Him Alone.
We saw Father practicing the phrase. He held Allah above everything else. No man-made value, religion, law, custom, belief or rhetorical long-winded speech by any man ever held any water if went against the Will of God as laid down and explained in the Holy Qor-aan.
The Holy Qor-aan was what Father studied and acted upon. He shared its contents with others he talked to. He taught it to his children as the first, basic and most important element of their education. Like a lightning rod he made everyone who came close to him honor the Book.
One thing he continually impressed upon us his children who held him higher than all else was that he was a very humble pie in the hierarchy of life where far above him were Allah, the Book that gave Iss-laam, the Holy Prophet Mohummad, s.a.w and the Promised Messiah, a.s.
The best, the biggest and the most beautiful practitioner of laa aiy-laa-ha il-la ulaa-ha was the Holy Prophet Mohummad, s.a.w. The Holy Qor-aan set him up as the Best Exemplar to follow. And Abba Ji followed that precedent as good as anyone else could, if not better.
At work, he was known as a Godfearing Judge. In off time, he visited villages and asked strangers if they knew that Imam Mehdi had come, thus opening dialogue that moved many men to turn Ahmadi Moslem. At home, he raised a progeny practicing laa aiy-laa-ha il-la ulaa-ha.
Precedent
Father respected, remembered and relied upon the earlier authority established by the Holy Qor-aan, Soonnah, Hadeeth. His knowledge in religious and spiritual matters was reflected in his judicial work in pre-partitioned India practically, and in post-Pakistan more pronouncedly.
For instance, he could not apply the evidentiary rules of Moslem jurisprudence to the criminal cases he tried under the British codified laws, but he applied their essence relative to the credibility of a witness wherever he could. Truth was what he sought, judged and enforced.
One Hadeeth has reported that a companion came to the Holy Prophet, s.a.w., and stated repeatedly that he had committed adultery. He, s.a.w., kept turning his face aside and didn’t reply to the man three times. But on 4th utterance of self-incrimination, he, s.a.w., finally spoke out.
He, s.a.w., said something like, “You left me no choice. I know you are a pious person and tell no lies. So based upon your four truthful testimonies against yourself, you must be held guilty.” A sentence was pronounced. The man was then asked about the woman with whom he had committed the crime and he named someone.
The woman was summoned. She denied the crime. He, s.a.w., said that he knew that the man had told the truth and that the woman had lied but she was let go with the benefit of doubt since no independent, corroborative and adequate number of testimonies came out against her.
Father could not apply the Moslem Law of crimes to cases he tried but albeit unwillingly he passed such benefit to the accused if a case warranted it, like the 1957 murder trial detailed in Tr – Azam Ali, an Ahmadi Moslem – Ch 10 -Judge.
Justice
Situations do arise in administering justice where the absence of a specifically applicable provision forces a judge to import a rule of law, justice, equity and fairness from a jurisprudence that’s foreign or outside the body of law as an analogy or parallel to resolve the situation at hand.
Following Laa Ilaa-ha Il-lul-laa-ha made it easy for Father to apply the rule of fairness. Fearing only God in all confronted situations of law, equity, procedure or evidence, he awarded justice as the Holy Qor-aan (004:059) had laid down, even-handedly to all litigants in his court.
Besides man the only person who knows the full story is the Almighty. The sole concern is to seek His approval, please Him, fear angering Him, and act upon Laa Ilaa-ha Il-lul-laa-ha. Abba Ji observed this rule, although some of those very close to him labelled it as overstepping.
The ultimate decision-making is to grant justice to those who are not even aware of what they have or what they are entitled to. The beneficiaries never know what rights were protected, who safeguarded the rights or even what had transpired. Father did all the time, for one and all.
Justice to all, even to the unaware.
Since 1957, I had practiced law. In early 1962, a rare opportunity arose for me to buy a new car. Six compact autos Triumph imported from England were allocated to Punjab with 50M residents for sale by special permits. I wanted to buy one of them and needed a permit to buy it.
After the necessary work at the Civil Secretariat, I needed my father’s signatures since he as a retired District and Sessions Judge could get a permit to buy a car but I as a lawyer couldn’t. Father refused to sign on the ground that he was unsure if in future he could similarly obtain such Government permits for all his children. I felt hurt as Father’s rationale appeared overstepping.
Father believed in and practiced equitable justice in a strict sense. I questioned his view of equality when all my siblings were students in schools and colleges, none worked any job, and his denying me the available rare opportunity. He could not be swayed. He followed his code.
Father believed that pursuant to Laa Ilaa-ha Il-lul-laa-ha he was holding God Almighty Who knows everything above everything else. He believed he was pleasing Allah by being equal to all his children and not giving in to the emotions of just one son. He stuck to his view.
No one knows the future for sure. Today I’m glad that he had the courage to stick to his view. I believe he prayed in terms he deemed best, for me and all my siblings whose rights he kept at par with me. He denied me my rare opportunity so he could give us all equal treatment.
Thank God that by now He has given all his 7 children (all grandparents), twenty-nine 29 grandchildren and over 40 great grandchildren so many autos that some of them have several in their garages while driving just one – and valued many times the cost of a Triumph I tried to buy.
. No GOD except Allah
It is nearly impossible for me to write everything I saw my father doing in practicing the contents of the actual verses, the Commandments inferred from the Holy Qor-aan, Sunnah and Hadeeth from the Holy Prophet, s.a.w., and what he had deduced with his own Juristic approach.
But for this part of my book, I limit to the following few things I saw, not just once or twice but all my life — when I lived at home with him constantly for the first 15 years of my life, whenever I saw him during my colleges days for the next 9 years, and whenever and wherever I visited with him all our lives in three countries on three continents.
He thanked Allah all the time, while sitting, standing, lying on sides. 001:002. 003:191 He learnt himself and showed others what the Book and Books had said. 003:004 He knew that Allah knows facts and all men merely argued extensions. 003:008 He realized that wealth and children of disbelievers led them to Hell. 003:011 He followed the way that led to GOD, and others with Vision saw it too. 003:014 He shunned lust in all worldly goods, sex, kids, accumulated wealth, land etc. 003:015 He asked for God’ pleasure, clean spouses and better things in the afterlife. 003:016 He prayed for forgiveness and safety from Fire for family and friends he loved. 003:017 He practiced perseverance, truth, obedience, charity and constant praying. 003:018 He testified by his words and acts that indeed there’s No GOD except Allah.003:019 He showed by conduct that Islam was the only way to demonstrate Belief in God 003:020 He followed and led others to what Holy Qor-aan taught, and left others aside 003:021 He tried pleasing God every way his knowledge and obedience to Book led him. 003:022 He shared his knowledge of the Holy Book continuously but didn’t force anyone.003:024 He requested the Master Of All Domains for all the blessings for all people. 003:027 He excluded everyone as an object for worship except the Almighty God. 026:078 He bowed to only Him Who created, fed, cured if ill, gave and took life. 026:079 to 082 He hoped that GOD would forgive all his errors on the Day of Judgment. 026:083 He beseeched for authority in this life and good name in posterity. 026:084 He told disbelievers as to Who and how he worshipped so that all knew that. 109:All He announced to all: God Almighty was One, the Only One worthy of worship. 112:All He sought God’s protection from all that could harm, hurt, or whisper. 113:All, 114:All
The above is my condensation of maybe just a thousandth part of the Holy Qor-aan. I saw Abba Ji practicing all day, not just that but practically whatever portion of the Holy Book I ever picked up to study for some of my school classes, to learn for myself, or share with others.
Viewpoint
Often I wondered and wished that I had a tiny fraction of knowledge of, courage to and ability to practice the teachings of the Holy Qor-aan that I saw Father practicing day and night, at home and outside, among friends and strangers. Perhaps I envied him but really challenged him.
Father prayed and believed in the divine acceptance of his prayers. The final Decision is indeed in the hands of God Almighty since there is No god except GOD (003:019). Father told his children Never try to be God even to their own children by forcing their will on them.
Father’s view was to do all a man could do for anyone, particularly for those he loved his sons. But the end-product laid down divinely was that there was No compulsion in the matter of religion (002:256). He sought all his actions to comply with the teachings of the Holy Qor-aan.
Father viewed his sons in different but their truly accurate colors. The youngest complied with all he was told to do even if he originally disagreed. The next older who did what he liked, even after agreeing to do exactly the opposite. The next older who did what he liked, notwithstanding any penalty for disobedience. The oldest me who did what I liked, having told father ahead when I disagreed with him.
Father liked me to be with him on many kinds of occasions. I accompanied him when alone, in his court and in mosques in several cities and countries. He took me along on visits to village or friends elsewhere. Obviously he taught and coached me for he knew I needed that.
Father loved my company perhaps also because I challenged his views. He practiced on me his innate desire to win by reason and argument, not by just fatherly force or societal dictates. And all that company gave me the opportunity to observe him from very close quarters.
The rule Laa Ilaa-ha Il-lul-laa-ha is simple. The ultimate decision-making rests with the GOD Who never errs and always does the best for all involved. The view fitted hand-and-glove with judicial authority that GOD entrusted Father. He taught us all what was best. The short-term consequence was that with the name of and prayers to God Almighty I accepted cases in my law practice, and my brother Majid and my son Rashid accepted patients in their medical practices. The long-term results were what our clients enjoyed in their wins and health.
GOD’s grace and brilliant success counts. Father got it, and passed it to his progeny.
