True Teachings Of Islam

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 4^th 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.

Phrase Kool-lo  nauf-sin  zaa-aiy-qa-to  ol-mao-tay

 Meaning “All persons taste death”

كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ ذَآٮِٕقَةُ الۡمَوۡتِ 

Kool-lo  nauf-sin  zaa-aiy-qa-to  ul-mao-tay

All persons taste death.

• كُلُّ  — Kool-lo — All (= All. Altogether. Everyone. Everything without exception. Also, as adv., entirely; totally; wholly)
• نَفۡسٍ — Nuf-sin — Persons (= n., s., Living being. Living thing. Soul)
• ذَآٮِٕقَةُ — Zaa-aiy-qa-to … (ol) — Taste (= v., pres., f., 3^rd person. Come across. Experience. Face.  Encounter. Face. Feel. Meet. Suffer. Taste. Undergo)
• الۡمَوۡتِ‌ — Mao-tay — Death (= n., s., Downfall. End of life on earth. Extinction. Stupor. Transition)

         All persons taste death.                                                                                                003:186  “ You get all results on Judgment. Avoiding Fire and entering Paradise is success  021:036  “ And We will try you with the Tests, for the good and the bad.                                  029:058  “ And then to

Azam Ali, an Ahmadi Moslem

Chapter 18 – Results

Raised Bribe-haters

               Rule of Universal Application regarding bribes does not change from one country or code to another. It’s bad everywhere. The Holy Qor-aan stated it clearly. Bribing in any form is prohibited. Judiciary is the most obvious arena where it is more prone to be violated.

Honesty, integrity and impartiality are basic elements of honest judiciary. Have them and see peace in society. Extend them around and see world peace (See Commentary World Peace through Law). Get them away from any group and see how quickly chaos settles in.

Wa  laa  tau-ko-loo  um-waa-la  koom  bai-na  koom  bay  il-baa-tay-lay                              Wa  tood-loo  bay-haa  aiy-lul  hook-kaa-may  lay  tau-ko-loo  free-qaun                                Min  um-waa-lay  in-naa-say  bay  il-ith-may  wa  un-too  tau-la-moo-n                                                                                                               سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة        – Ch: 002, Verse 189

And you do not eat up your assets among you with falsehood                                    Or turn it over to the authorities for you to eat up part                                                From other peoples’ assets with sin and you know that.        002:189

Father considered any gifts to him or his family as bribes. He shunned them as filth. He believed and rightly so that all these gifts were sent to his home only because he was a Judge and with the intent to influence his judgement from remaining impartial.

Father treated such attempted gifts tantamount to bribes and such gift-giving as an ugly effort to bribe. The intent behind those gifts was what Father understood, and he wanted us his children to also do the same.

Such gifts usually came after Father had arrived in a new judicial district upon a transfer that routinely occurred nearly every 2 years as a part of the Punjab Provincial Civil Service and before people learnt of Father’s extremely militant hostility towards these gifts.

Father wanted his children to also understand what he knew well. Sending these so-called gifts to our house were obviously arranged not so innocently by some lawyer, litigant or layman and left as gifts with servants at our house.

Some gifts came anonymously. Boxes of fruits and candies and baskets of food smelt temptingly delicious. Father ordered them immediately discarded, destroyed, given away or thrown out. We the children learnt very early in life his rationale for doing so. Creating hate in another person’s mind about anything is not easy. Abba Ji did that job well by ingraining his children with real abhorrence against bribes, no matter in what form, shape or place one came and how genuine or innocent it looked.

Father knew how strong and stern resistant he was against any type of bribe even entering his household. But he also knew that he had ten (10) vulnerable 1 to 15 years old children he had to prepare from being or playing any part of the bribing.

The Holy Qor-aan prohibited the giving of bribe. The result is there’s no taker of bribes. The Holy Prophet, s.a.w., further clarified the prohibition for better understanding by an undeveloped mind: Both the giver and taker of a bribe are destined to burn in Hell.

               Ur  raa-shee  wa  ul-moor-ta-she  ho-maa  fee  un-naa-r       Hadeeth                                       Both the Giver of a bribe and the Taker of bribe will be in Fire.

Peace Maker

               The dilemma is that a gift is the best means to befriend. It ties strangers into a bond of closeness. It’s an effective instrument to make peace between conflicting individuals and warring factions. Giving and receiving gifts makes peace.

Gifting quickly dissolves enmities and cements friendship. But the wonderful technique to bring people together is also the most effective lure to dissolve and evaporate honesty by its use to practice bribery. Crooks are good at it, but some crook-catchers know how to avoid it.

When, where and how to draw a line between one’s honest activity pursuant to a divine Command and a well-known methodology of pursuing, promoting and practicing one of the most heinous crimes of corrupting equity, fairness and justice? Father was a master of this art.

Abba Ji acted upon the Command. He used his God-given talents and spiritual knowledge to reduce the feudal frictions when he saw them. He gifted away generously the rightness, but stayed away from personal gifts. He didn’t let gifting tilt balance of justice in court or at home.

In-na-mul-moe-may-noo-na-ikh-wa-tool-fa-us-lay-hoo-bai-na-aa-kha-wai-koom                                                                                                                 سُوۡرَةُ الحُجرَات     – Ch: 049, verse 011 Believers are brothers. So, make peace among your brothers.              049:011

He orchestrated marriages between Buttar cousins-turned-enemies-clans and patch up litigant factions and their supporters. He spread goodwill where formerly blood-thirsty enmity swayed. He encouraged people to be genuine friends and exchange gifts. Yet he never accepted any gift of any kind from anybody.

He urged all parties to forgive, forget and bury old hatchets and exercise self-restraint and not continue harboring old hostilities, generation after generations. He turned his relatives, friends and others he could into being Ahmadi. He continually practiced what the Holy Qor-aan has stated.

      Wa  au-ta-say-moo  bay  hub-lay  il-laa-hay  ja-me-un  wa  laa  ta-fur-ra-qoo                      Wa  uz-ko-roo  nae-ma-ta  ul-laa-hay  alai  koom  iz  koon-toom  au-daa-un                           Fa  ul-la-fa  bai-na  qo-loo-bay  koom                                                                                                 Fa  us-bauh  toom  bay  nae-ma-tay  he  ikh-waa-naa                                                                                                                                                    سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان     – Ch: 003, Verse 104           

        And you all hold fast the rope of Allah and don’t be divided.                                      And remember the blessing of Allah upon you when you were enemies.              Then He created love among your hearts                                                                            So, with His grace you became brethren.                                   003:104

Gifts making peace Vs. Bribes

            The Holy Qor-aan explained the phenomenon by mandating: Do not eat your wealth among yourselves with falsehood (misrepresentation, false excuses, false notion, false practices) or offer that to the authorities so that you can devour a part of other people’s property in sin and with knowledge, as stated above in 002:189.

The Command in the Holy Qor-aan and its interpretation in Hadeeth (a saying of the Holy Prophet Mohammed, s.a.w.) had led Father to unequivocally declare and consistently enforce his personal aversion against bribe.

I read in the Webster’s Encyclopedia of Dictionaries the definition that bribe was “Anything bestowed with a view to influence judgment and conduct; v. t. to influence by gift; v. t. to practice bribery.” I guess the United States Supreme Court needed to see that definition when their majority decided that gifts valued up to $13,000.00 were acceptable.

The absolute prohibition of bribery, or any act with even the remotest possible semblance, never came close to benefiting Father’s family members, and as far as humanly possible his ever so extensive staff in and around his court.

From very early childhood we were ingrained with the concept that bribes were not just an amount of cash but included any gift someone offered to a child to reach a parent to obtain a favorable decision by causing injustice to the opposite side. And all that was bad.

With my mother having passed away when I was 13 and my stepmother being busy memorizing the Holy Qor-aan, to us our father’s words were the sole words of guidance, words of command, words of advice and really the only thing that carried credentials as true.

It was normal at that time for judicial officers’ children to be the initial contact-point to receive kindness, friendship and attempted gift-giving by their teachers, neighbors and even Father’s own staff in a new judicial district where he arrived after a routine transfer.

Material things were easy for us kids to recognize as red herrings. Immediate refusal to them being manifestly against Islam and Father’s policies was easy. But subtle acts of kindness, apparent friendship and professed sincerity were not easily discernable – until a few days or weeks later they got plainly verbalized as “Would you tell your father that…”

Father taught us well. Our tutored response to those dirty, filthy, nasty and illicit demands were so clear and crude that they instantaneously pushed away the requesters. The sudden and total evaporation of all former enthusiastic devotion bewildered us kids.

In the early stages such conduct confused us kids and we doubted and distrusted the motives of all strangers. Suspecting intended injustice from Father’s court and destined loss of friendship eventually cultivated hate against bribery as the root-cause. The process culminated in raising Father’s children as bribe-hater adults.

My experience

               When I started practicing law years later I found myself hating bribery even more. I was in the first year of my law practice. A magistrate was hearing me argue in a case. He stopped in the middle of the hearing and called me into the side-chamber of his courtroom. In plain words he then asked for money as the cost of doing business. I was appalled.

I could hardly control my extreme disgust. I asked Mr. Naqvi to adjourn the case. He did it for a couple of days. Outside the courtroom, I told my client that the magistrate had demanded money to grant bail and that is why I was refusing to be his Attorney any longer.

I never ever returned to that Magistrate’s court. Sometime later he was raided and arrested by anti-corruption police which moved into action because of similar demands he had made on young lawyers promising each that uplift in the practice of law which every inexperienced lawyer needed. He obviously did not know Abba Ji and how he had raised us.

I know other Ahmadi families who like my Father had raised and educated their children who did not fit in the corrupt structure in Pakistan. An internationally read Digest in an article published in 1970 had recognized Pakistan as “World’s Most Corrupt Country.”

May be that anti-bribery culture and reputation of honesty aggregated into forming the background that led to corrupt politicians from top to toe of Pakistan to collectively amend the country’s Constitution in 1974 and declare Ahmadis as non-Muslim although every other country in the world treats them as Moslems which they really are.

No wonder that Justice Shafi investigating a complaint against Father that he had turned district headquarters into an Ahmadiyya colony by settling so many Ahmadi refugees there had found the complaint frivolous. He concluded his report by saying that he could wipe corruption away from the country if he could find just two honest Judges like my father.

Yes, I am proud of being a son of the man who was the master of distinguishing peace-making gifting from bribes. He raised seven children who all as grandparents are raising in many countries a huge number of similar peace spreading, bribes killing people.

Azam Ali, an Ahmadi Moslem

Chapter 16 – Prayers

Man of Prayers

              The one word to describe what my father did by anyone who knew him would be that he prayed. Father’s prayers were accepted as he prayed, but often far better and more desirable results ensued that lasted for much longer .

On congregational prayers, wedding ceremonies and family gatherings the attendees asked him to lead the prayers because of their knowledge that his prayers produced results as he prayed the way God Almighty had directed and the Holy Prophet, s.a.w., had exemplified.

Ch Azaz Ahmad Bajwa was a District Judge like Father and a close friend. Both friends practiced law after their retirement. He offered Father half the revenue from their attorney’s law office if Father agreed to just contribute with his prayers.

Father gathered all his family as any of his children got ready to go off to college in some distant town. Then with a small lecture to the whole family and a treasure of his ever-flowing prayers the family ember was set off. No wonder they all reached the top of the line they chose.

I remember him praying for and along with me every morning before I left for the High Court while my clerk and clients waited and watched before we walked to the Court that was hardly three minutes walking distance from our office on 21 Edwards Road, Lahore.

Method

              Father’s all-encompassing spiritual training was uninterrupted by anyone else. Extending from our infancy to formative years to our adulthood and married life with our children, it was perpetually focused on praying, praying and praying, all the time, standing, sitting or lying down.

He was a total embodiment of practicing the following Command in the Holy Qor-aan.

           Ul-la-ze-na  yauz-ko-roo-na  ul-laa-ha                                                                                                Qay-yaa-maun  wa  qo-oo-daun  wa  alaa  jo-noo-bay  him                                                                                                                              سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان    –   Ch 3, Verse:192 

            Those who remember Allah                                                                                                      Standing and sitting and on their sides.                          003:192 

Father led us into the habit of always praying, before starting daily activities and before taking every major or minor step in life. The words of prayer had a specific order of choice.

1. The best choice always was to use the divine words of the Holy Qor-aan.
2. The next choice was to use the compact nuggets of wisdom in some
3. Finally, choosing a prayer in our own language so that feelings from deep down one’s heart and mind could be expressed well.

Father had learnt and sought all his children to evolve and reach the Goal Of Creation. First, to recognize and start one’s journey on to harness his Tendency To Do Wrong as everyone is created with the Nauf-say Amma-rah (012:054). Second, to strengthen one’s inner soul and develop courage to accept Blame For One’s Actions, i.e., reach the Nauf-say Lauw-waa-mah (075:003). The ultimate is to is become Nauf-say Moot-ma-innah and receive the welcome of “You The Contended Soul, Return To Your God, Totally Pleased.” (089:028)

Father explained things in a manner that even a child could easily understand. Who creates a cause produces the effect of generally getting the results. Studying hard and working smart brings success. Taking proper medicine and good care of brings recovery faster.

Father taught us that the results and progress invariably follow the prayers. All religious people, saints and sages advocated that attaining God’s pleasure was the highest, noblest and the best purpose why the Creator gifts us with life. Prayers at every step resolved issues.

Preparation

              The rationale Father had in pursuing his determination to raise his children according to his dreams and in the form he raised was that food is the seed that produces blood that feeds the brain that conceives ideas that lead to action.

Father shared with us the elementary principle of success. God’s plan is to reward every doer the results of his efforts. Eating food is the first basic act which then leads us to whatever else we do in life. One becomes what he eats, and actions during the rest of the life are a natural byproduct of all our earlier actions – good or bad, whatever they be.

For example, asking the Almighty Provider to provide for oneself and family for a …

• ‘Clean and pure food,’ that produce
• ‘Clean, pure and healthy blood,’ that generate
• ‘Clean, pure, healthy and noble thoughts,’ that materialize in
• ‘Clean, pure, healthy, noble and productive acts’ to serve God and His creatures.

Eater of physical and spiritual food produces quality results. He stays on the quality track, makes quality progress and often in rapid strides. I wonder if enough words in dictionary are there or on my ability to fully convey my father’s emphasis on eating clean and lawful foods.

One who eats filth develops filthy habits of begging and living upon other people’s handouts like a scavenger eating out of others discarded trash. The fact is that whoever did a bad thing and was then surrounded with enormous other wrongs are destined to burn (002:082).

Father used to make his point by punctuating his approach with a summarized version of his life experiences. He explained that his conclusions could have unintended consequences that could be avoided by using the tool of prayers, an appeal to God soliciting His help..

Father maintained courtroom décor where that was the norm even when issuing simple order for litigants as once in a lifetime affair. He modified that technique for use at home where he prepared his children for their lives and they had to prepare theirs for their lives, and so on.

Father had a routine well stablished and prayer was the central pivot.

1. He stated necessary details of his experience and underscored that he prayed so that he may not be exposed to any unforeseen unpleasant consequences.
2. He repeated things in many ways, in many words, in many scenarios to make him clear, very clear, to the point that at times others construed that it was an over-kill.
3. He told us children at home: “You heard me. You think you understand me. Now tell me what is that you understand that I said.”

Father, in court as the presiding Judge, had to remind a witness sometimes that on oath sworn to tell the truth he must provide truthful testimony.

Once he reprimanded a woman witness telling her to answer counsel’s questions and not talk of things not asked for. She suddenly started screaming that the Judge had addressed her as Ma-ee, a term by which older women are customarily addressed in most of the Punjab province.

Father was confused over her screaming. Lawyers informed him that she felt offended for being addressed as Ma-ee because she was not a young damsel but a grandmother. Such unintended consequences are against which Father used and recommended prayer as the shield.

Circle

               Desired results are multiplied when a prayer is added to an effort made. Prophets’ prayers perpetuated in the Holy Qor-aan are known to produce far better and quicker results than mere acts done without those prayers. Prayers of the Holy Prophet s.a.w., are a proven key to success.

Using a prayer adds psychological boost to a beseecher’s acts. Such a declared intention of an innermost mind draws spiritual benefits as well. Progress becomes better and faster when prayer and causation are combined, hand in glove.

Determined efforts entail consequences. Genuine devotion produces success. Appropriate action generates consequences. Sincere prayers produce results. Invoking God’s benevolence  guarantees outcome. Conjunction of all these on one intended goal causes miracles do happen.

Our father was one such miracle who laid foundation for many more to materialize in its wake. It is no surprise because he had followed the Holy Prophet s.a.w., and tried to be a little Mohammad as recommended by the Khaleefatool Massih II, r.a.,

Progress

              Father impressed on us with a very simple but far-reaching concept relating to prayers and progress. One needs to contact a postmaster for a problem with mail delivery and visit a doctor if sick, and not a mailman. Likewise, one must pray to God when in need, and not a man.

God Almighty does what is best and that includes for a man. On the other hand, no human can ever do what he deems or even is the best for him.

Prayers verbalize the requester’s concentration, determination and resolution.                    Prayers taught to prophets have perpetually greater possibilities of being granted.        Prayers show precedents that had previously led beseechers to swift successful solutions. Prayers bring more than what man asks from the core of his heart.                                      Prayers nourish man’s soul and strengthen his bond with his Maker.                                    Prayers express intentions. If coupled with appropriate actions, they produce results. Prayers resolve situations; using proven words and concepts is a sure way to get results.

Father put us on that right road by practicing his Memorize-Internalize-Exercise drill.  He told us to select a prayer that was most suitable to meet a need at hand. He taught, tutored and trained us for success laying astronomical emphasis to take proper actions to reach our intended goals and by adding prayers to our actions.  He made it clear that doers reap good results whether they pray or not, but efforts by those who add prayers to their actions produce far superior results.

The presence of prayers in a person’s mind builds imagination, creates ideas, provides resolutions, forms goals, precipitates activity, and brings success. The more they are the better it is. This is what Father spent his lifetime in teaching us.

And his prayers showed even more spectacular was what we feared, expected and maybe wanted. Anything good we did, he knew it and prayed for more. Anything we did to the opposite, he knew it and prayed for forgiveness for the past and correction in the future. His prayers were on-going, and the progress they brought we are enjoying over half a century after his Transition.

Phrase O-laa-aiy-ka  us-haa-bo  on-naar … meaning “They are inmates of Fire”

اُولٰٓٮِٕكَ اَصۡحٰبُ النَّارِ‌‌ ۚ  هُمۡ فِيۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ

O-laa-aiy-ka  us-haa-bo  on-naa-ray  hoom  fee  haa-khaa-lay-doo-n

They all are inmates of Fire. They are dwellers in it.

• اُولٰٓٮِٕكَ — Olaa-aiy-ka — They all (= Aforesaid facts, persons or things. Here the reference is to aforesaid folks, people, sinners and wrong doers)
• اَصۡحٰبُ — Us-haa-bo … (on) — Inmates (= n., pl., This one word has many shades of meanings.   With closeness as an element … Associates; companions; families; fellows; folks; friends; heirs.  With residence as an element … citizens; denizens; dwellers; guests; inmates; inhabitants; invitees; live ins; natives; residents; stayers; visitors. With control as an element … army; controllers; fighters; masters; occupants; occupiers; owners; people; populace; population; possessors; soldiers)
• ٱلنَّارِ — Naa-ray — The Fire (= Anger, punishment or wrath of Allah; hell; hell fire; purgatory. The Fire of punishment. Literally, the rapid sustained reaction or source of releasing light and heat)
• هُمۡ‌ — Hoom — They (= pro., pl., m., 3^rd person. Refers to aforesaid inmates)
• فِىۡ   — Fee — In (= Contained in or amidst a duration, event, time, place, period, thing or situation; inside)
• هَا — Haa — It (= pro., s., f., 3^rd person., Refers to the fire)
• خٰلِدُوۡنَ — Khaa-lay-doo-n — Dwellers (= n., pl., Those abiding, living, staying or residing for a time unspecified as in a hospital or rest house. To add words like everlastingly, for ever after, permanently and perpetually is inappropriate for those who will go   to hell. Adding such a qualification is appropriate only for the residents of Paradise . Some interpreters have incorrectly labeled this period to last forever. See Note 002:040)

All verses below include the above phrase. Such repetition emphasizes the primary message. Each set of remaining words while reiterating the message shows a difference in changed lights. This technique highlights the importance of primary message. The overlap in meanings because of varying circumstances merits to be adequately shown. Yet only some publications reflect that.

They the inmates of Fire. They are dwellers in it.

002:040: Who disbelieved and belied Our Signs are  “ “.                                                      002:082: Whoever commits a sin and all his wrongs surround him, then “ “.                      002:218: Whoever among you reverts from his right faith and dies, then “ “.                      002:258: Who disbelieved are friends of Satan who takes them light to darkness “ “. 002:276: Usuary is not but trading is allowed. Who lives on usuary except the past “ ‘. 003:117: Who disbelieved are whose wealth and children can’t help them against God ” “. 007:037: Who belied Our Signs and took pride in walking away are “ “.

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                           007:037

وَالَّذِيۡنَ كَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَاسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡا عَنۡهَاۤ اُولٰۤٮِٕكَ اَصۡحٰبُ النَّارِ‌ۚ هُمۡ فِيۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ

                                   Except for additional words كَفَرُوۡا وَ in verse 002:040 and                                     وَاسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡا عَنۡهَاۤ  in 007:037, the text in both verses is the same.

Wa  ul-la-zee-n  kauz-za-boo  bay  aa-yaa-tay  naa                                                                  Was  us-tauk-ba-roo  un  haa                                                                                                              O-laa-aiy-ka  us-haa-bo  on-naa-ray   hoom  fee  haa  kha-lay-doo-n

And those who belied Our signs                                                                                      And acted arrogantly regarding that                                                                                They all are inmates of Fire. They are dwellers in it.

• وَ — Wa … (ul) — And (= Conj., Connects words, phrases or clauses. Also; but; additionally; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
• ٱلَّذِينَ — La-zee-na — Those who (= pl., m, 3^rd person. Refers to the disbelievers)
• كَذَّبُوۡا — Kuz-za-boo — They belied (= v., past., pl., 3^rd person. Denied; derided, denounced, disowned, opposed, misrepresented, negated; rejected. Any translation in the present tense is not of what the Holy Qor-aan has stated in the past tense like ‘reject’)
• بِ — Bay — With (= Literally the word بِ  means with)
• اٰيٰتِ — Aa-ya-tay — Signs (= n., pl of … An argument, corroboration, indication, insinuation, pointer, portent, prof, sign, suggestion, symbol or token. See Note 002:074)
• نَآ — Naa — Our (= pro., pl., 1^st person. Us. Used with God’s name it is the                           authoritative way a higher-up talks to a subordinate)
• وَ — Wa … (us) — And (= Conj., It connects words, phrases, etc. See  وَ   above)
• اسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡا — Us-tuk-ba-roo — They Acted arrogantly (= v., past., pl., 3^rd person. Acted arrogantly. Behaved boastfully. Bragged haughtily. Deemed himself too big and proud. Pride-stricken. Puffed with pride. Scorned. Smug or smitten with complex. Took pride. Was egotist or vanity rich.  A/t/a, ‘turn away … with disdain’)
• عَنۡ– Un — From (= About; concerning; regarding; relative to)
• هَا — Haa — It (= pro., s., f., 3^rd person., Refers to aforesaid group)

See Phrase O-laa-aiy-ka  us-haa-bo  on-naar … meaning “They are inmates of Fire”

• اُولٰٓٮِٕكَ — Olaa-aiy-ka — They all (= Aforesaid facts, persons or things. Here the reference is to aforesaid folks, people, sinners and wrong doers)
• اَصۡحٰبُ — Us-haa-bo … (on) — Inmates (= n., pl., This one word has many shades of meanings.   With closeness as an element … Associates; companions; families; fellows; folks; friends; heirs.  With residence as an element … citizens; denizens; dwellers; guests; inmates; inhabitants; invitees; live ins; natives; residents; stayers; visitors. With control as an element … army; controllers; fighters; masters; occupants; occupiers; owners; people; populace; population; possessors; soldiers)
• ٱلنَّارِ — Naa-ray — The Fire (= Anger, punishment or wrath of Allah; hell; hell fire; purgatory. The Fire of punishment. Literally, the rapid sustained reaction or source of releasing light and heat)
• هُمۡ‌ — Hoom — They (= pro., pl., m., 3^rd person. Refers to aforesaid inmates)
• فِىۡ   — Fee — In (= Contained in or amidst a duration, event, time, place, period, thing or situation; inside)
• هَا — Haa — It (= pro., s., f., 3^rd person., Refers to the fire)
• خٰلِدُوۡنَ — Khaa-lay-doo-n — Dwellers (= n., pl., Those abiding, living, staying or residing for a time unspecified as in a hospital or rest house. To add words like everlastingly, for ever after, permanently and perpetually is inappropriate for those who will go   to hell. Adding such a qualification is appropriate only for the residents of Paradise . Some interpreters have incorrectly labeled this period to last forever. See Note 002:040)