Azam Ali, an Ahmadi Moslem
Chapter 03 – Coach
Reap what you sow
Abba Ji had a unique way of instructing – teaching, tutoring and training. He used to ask lots of questions, all sorts of questions, of us brothers and sisters, while we were growing up, even when we were grown up.
I was quite young when walking out in the fields one day he pointed to a standing crop. He explained that some farmer had ploughed the land and sowed the seed (paddy) for rice. He would watch it for months, look after it as much as he could, and then would harvest it.
Then he asked, “What will be the crop if the seed was wheat?”
After my answer, he asked, “Can the seed of rice grow the crop of wheat?”
After my answer, he asked, “Can the seed of wheat grow the crop of rice?”
After all that and back home, I shared my ‘discovery’ with my siblings who except my older half-sister were younger than me. No wonder a kid through such a drill cannot easily forget that You Reap What You Sow.
Abba Ji lived the life of a Moslem. Out of the home he was a lawyer and a judge who stated things very clearly and succinctly. Inside the home he was a father as well who guided and determined the future of at one time ten children of whom seven grew up to be grandparents.
His walks and talks reflected all the values and virtues that he believed, professed and practiced. His conversations referred abundantly to his village life where he grew up and to his family roots. He stated his personal experiences endowed richly with rainbow colors of wisdom and knowledge. He interspersed his talk and life experiences with such frequent repetitions that we all knew them. He followed the same regime asking questions at home with kids and outside with whoso he dealt. He impressed his audience by telling stories and elaborating results from which they learnt easily. He taught everyone who came close to him and all my life I watched him how he made his point. He started invariably by outlining his plan and making every effort to accomplish what his plan was. He repeated his pinpointed goal and kept asking questions so that his listener in effect learnt twice. He asked his addressee about his goal and helped him to zero in on a way to reach those goals. He swiftly moved to the implementation stage after he had guided the forming of the desired goal. He repeated the same process in every situation and his listener learnt lessons without being taught.
Encouraged Effort
Sometime in 1948 he had a refugee visitor who complained of joblessness due to the Indo-Pak Partition. After his usual discussion of fixing a goal and selecting a road to reach it he called me, then his 12-year-old son. He introduced me to the visitor and asked me to recite a poem which at that time was a favorite of Father and me. Now I don’t remember the whole Urdu poem but recall the lines with which each verse ended as follows. Ooth baand kamar keya darta hai i.e. Get up. Be ready. What is there to fear. Phir daikh khuda kiya karta hai. i.e. Then see how God makes thing appear. The visitor acted upon the plan, found a job he was happy to do, and became a life-long friend.
Teaching children
In October 1948 my mother passed away. Then on our father had also to be the mother of us all seven from 1-year-old to 13-years-old children (See Tr – Azam Ali, an Ahmadi Moslem, Ch – 11 – Knowledge)
Abba Ji had lined up all seven of us (Khalida in his lap, me Abid, Hamid, Sajda, Majid, Qanta and Sadiq) beside our mother Sakina Begum who passed away on October 12, 1948, in Campbellpore.
Father intended to make us his kids physically strong, spiritually sound and morally solid. All his input was focused on producing those results. He used to pick one of the daily activities. Then he microscopically examined and thoroughly explained numerous aspects of that activity. Then he told of a story of someone who resolved to excel in that activity and had reached its top. Then he talked of an appropriate prayer that had or could have helped him in reaching that goal. Then he discussed additional benefits of that prayer and improvements in other fields as well. He used to tell us of the prayer first and then instructed us to repeat it after him word by word. He passed us through these introductory stages just like a classroom discipline and atmosphere. He urged us to memorize each prayer, write it down if necessary and start using it continually. He recited those words in the daily prayers, often loud for us to hear him and correct ourselves. He intended all those prayers to settle down deep in our minds and take roots for permanent use. He gathered us all children almost daily in a classroom scenario and asked us about the prayers. Those who failed to give the right answers suffered the effect of the cause of failing homework.
Father’s ways were that I followed since most children do what they see their parents do. He continually led us to memorize, internalize and utilize the prayers. The process to learn them at that time was easy as all it required was to narrate them if asked to. Over eighty years later now I am amazed at the lasting nature of his input and things he taught us. I still remember some of the occasions when we were taught or tested for a prayer or lesson. I need no effort in recalling a prayer which is most suitable for any good or sad occasion I face.
Our oldest sister’s son Dr Zarar Bajwa has often remarked: “The prayers Nana Abu (maternal grandfather) taught us after the Fajr (the morning) prayers when he visited us are hard to forget.” That is how Abba Ji is remembered by those of his third generation who had the good fortune to have benefitted by his love while also teaching, training and tutoring them imperceptibly.
Coach
Abba Ji was my guide and mentor. What I saw him do was that I subconsciously learnt to do as well. His way of forming an intent, setting up a plan, and right away start implementing the plan I copied. His ways of logic, reasoning and presentation I emulated in my talks, speeches and argumentation. His instructive teaching style in my speeches, advocacy and delivery of messages benefitted me well.
The onlookers in the fields of law and religion told me all my life that hearing and seeing me render some service, deliver a sermon in a mosque, or argue a case in a Court room made them feel as if they were hearing my father. I laid emphasis and fluctuated my tones in public speeches like that of my father. Even when I took a position that would have been 180 degrees opposite his way or view, my manner and method of expressing myself was that of Abba Ji. After all, Every Action Has An Opposite Reaction must also come into play sometime.
In 1959-60, Mr. Justice Orthicon heard me argue before him my first case ever in Lahore High Court. After I had left his court room, he openly made some complimentary remarks about my argumentation. Present in the court room was Chaudhry Mohammed Anwar Buttar Advocate who pointed out to the Judge that I was his colleague Chaudhry Azam Ali’ son. “How unlike his father!” the Judge remarked. Apparently, he knew my father well and had high regards for his services in the Judiciary. He was happy to know that I was his colleague’s son who did the job well in his court. What the Judge appreciated was my presentation of the facts and preparation for my case even as I impugned the judgment of a lower court like that of my father.
Father is not with us today, but those prayers are and will benefit us forever. The prayers were an immensely rich treasure he laboriously instilled in us, and we conveniently accumulated.
Father in the spring of 1957 was in Montgomery, later called Sahiwal. He was there as the District and Sessions Judge to try a couple of murder trials and stay at the Government Rest House. I had come from the law school boarding house to stay with him for 2 weeks to prepare for my finals by pulling myself away from other activities.
One evening when returning from the mosque after the Mughrib (early evening) prayers we were walking together when in a rare show of emotion and affection he suddenly held my upper left arm and started, “Son, soon you will be a full-fledged lawyer and take the lead of your pack (meaning my siblings) from us older people.”
He talked for the next several minutes. I don’t recall what he said since I was lost in a rare outburst of his emotions which sort of lifted me up to cloud 9. Until suddenly I was shaken awake as if from a trance with the loud clicks of heavy boots of the Police Guard who came to the position of Attention to greet Father’s return to the Rest House.
Today I can’t recall what specific prayer he had discussed on that occasion. But thinking back on our walk I am almost sure that he wanted me to understand the real impact of the prayer which Abraham had offered for his progeny, parents and people around him.
Rub-bay ij-ul nee mo-qee-ma us-sa-laa-tay wa min zoor-ree-ya tee Rub-ba naa wa ta-qub-bul do-aa-aa Rub-ba naugh-fir lee wa lay waa-lay-duy ya Wa lay il-mo-may-ne-na yao-ma ya-qoo-mo ol-hay-saab. سُوۡرَةُ إبراهیم – Ch: 014, Verse 041 & 042
God, please make me and my progeny regular in prayers. God of us all, please accept (this) prayer. God of us all, please forgive me, my parents And the believers the day Accounting takes place. 014:041 & 014:042
Tough act
Abba Ji, his parents, and parents of our mother prayed for us all the time. I think all parents do that. But our parents also established in us the belief that we were the conduits who must pass their prayers on to our next generation, and further had the duty to inculcate in them the determination to be the conduits to pass on to their children, and that the process must go on and on.
Today as a grandparent myself I wish I could pass even a millionth of the quantity or quality of those prayers or their results for my successors who nevertheless have a tremendous treasure of prayers coming down in pike to them from their ancestors.
The Slavery
The Slavery
Islam has no place for the worst possible abomination called slavery. The Holy Qor-aan – Spiritual Guidance Book denounced it. The Hadeeth (Reports of the acts and quotes of the Holy Prophet s.a.w ) decried it. The common sense condemns it. Few sane men ever believed in it. But Clergy in Islam still wrongly translates parts of its scripture as if slavery was an ongoing practice which the adherents can follow.
The Holy Qor-aan is no joke. It was revealed for the mankind for all times to come. Its contents have come to teach, improve, reform, turn and take Man to a much higher level than that at which he was before as another creature living in the animal world ruled by the law of jungle. It must be translated to reflect the original text.
Adding words or ideas in translating the Holy Qor-aan extends those words and ideas also for the future. Authors must not interject their own ideas and biases based upon their whim. This is not an unintended consequence of transferring the essence of a text in one language to another one honestly. It is serious, amounts to whatever sin, crime or wrong one chooses to label it with.
Mullah like Mullah’s Modifications and Mullah’ Jihad is no road to Peace has interpreted the phrase مَا مَلَـكَتۡ اَيۡمَانُ (maa-ma-la-kut-aiy-maa-no = what the right hands own, hold, possess or show in ownership) as slavery. Mullah has made slavery an alive, active and allowed practice that can be practiced even in future. Some authors following the suit, inaccurately translated the verses like 004:004, 004:025, 004:026, 004:037, 023:007, 024:034 and 070:031, and in effect perpetuated the continuation of slavery.
The word مَاۤ (maa) means what, all that, whatever or whatsoever.
The word مَلَكَتۡ (ma-la-kaut = verb., past., feminine gender, 3rdperson) means owned and held in ownership or servitude. The phrase is wrongly extrapolated, interpreted and translated to validate the institution of slavery by statements like ‘slave girls you own’ [N J Dawood], ‘(slaves) that your right hands possess’ [M Muhsin Khan and Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali], ‘(slaves and bondwomen)’ [Malik Ghulam Farid in Note 561], ‘(the captives)’ [M Marmaduke Pickthall], ‘(a captive)’ [Abdulla Yusuf Ali], ‘possess’ [Maulawi Sher Ali and Maulana Muhammad Ali] and ‘over whom you have the authority’ [M Zafrulla Khan].
The word أَيۡمَـٰنُ (aiy-maa-no = noun, plural) means right hands and refers to all which the two right hands own and control. These two words convey those two people who mutually agreed and acknowledged by shaking their right hands as to what each of them owns or controls.
Hardly ever in the history of mankind was Master/Slave a relationship that a human being voluntarily chose to enter as a slave. Today all hired personnel, employees, even volunteers in non-profits are what right hands own, but they are not slaves. They do the same work that was done by slaves in the past, yet they are not slaves. Translating these words as slaves is inaccurate.
The word after above phrase in verse 004:004 is كُمۡ (koom = pronoun., plural., masculine gender, 2nd person) and means you. The word after above phrase in verses 023:007 and 070:031 is هُمۡ (hoom = pronoun., plural., masculine gender, 3rd person) and means they, them or those. The Holy Qor-aan addresses that way both men and women.
The validity of Slavery is also reflected from other translations such as of verse 004:026 saying you marry the “handmaids … with the leave of their masters” [Maulawi Sher Ali] and ‘owners’ [Abdullah Yusuf Ali]
Before the Seventh century AD the evil practice of slavery was an established social order recognized and practiced in Rome, Athens with a long flourishing civilization, Arab Peninsula, and in fact the entire ancient world.
In the Eighth century AD the Holy Qor-aan in its verse 002:178 enumerated freeing of the slaves as a virtue. Many Ahadeeth show how important good deed is to free slaves. In fact, freeing slaves was prescribed as compensation for many wrongs and an expiation for crimes.
History shows that Zaid Ibn Harithah of Bani Ma’n tribe was 8-yrs-old when captured in an attack by an opposing tribe. He was sold in the market of `Ukaadh as a prisoner of war slave. Hakīm Ibn Huzaam bought him and gave him as a gift to his aunt Khadijah bint Khuwailid. She gifted ‘her servant Zaid’ to her husband the Holy Prophet s.a.w who manumitted him at once.
Had Moslems followed the teachings of the Holy Qor-aan and the precedent of the Holy Prophet s.a.w who freed the slaves that came to his ownership and urged others to do the same, the curse of slavery would have gradually ended among the Moslems soon after Islam came.
Yet even in the 21st century A.D. the mistranslations of the verses such as 004:093 and 005:090 the Holy Qor-aan are being openly sold in the market. For example, the words تَحۡرِيۡرُ رَقَبَةٍ (tah-re-ro-ra-qa-ba-tin) in verse 005:090 mean freeing a neck in the words of M Muhammad Ali — or procuring the freedom of one held in bondage in the words of M Zafrulla Khan — are twisted so to appear justifying slavery by several authors as follow. Abdullah Yusuf Ali: “Give a slave his freedom.” A Rahman Omar: “Liberating of some one (from the yoke of slavery or debt, etc). M Ghulam Farid: “The freeing of a slave.” Marmaduke Pickthall: “Liberation of a slave.” M Muhsin Khan and Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali: “manumit a slave.” N J Dawood: “The freeing of one slave.”
The society of human beings in the past recognized one’s ownership of property and the term included at one time the ownership of slaves. But the credit goes to the President Abraham Lincoln who set into motion a process by which in 1865 the USA abolished slavery by the 13th Amendment to its Constitution. Other nations followed the suit. Wikipedia shows on-line a great many details of the history of slavery.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted by people with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world. It was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all nations. It sets out the fundamental human rights to be universally protected and has been translated into over 500 languages. See our Note 023:007.