Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

20th December 2019

During Islam’s Golden Age, Muslim researchers reached the highest echelons in the fields of science, mathematics, geography, astronomy, medicine and inventions. Whilst Europe languished in the dark ages, the Muslims were at the forefront of the world in discovery and innovation. Many of the inventions and scientific methods used by the world today are credited to the academic enlightenment of Islam’s Golden Age. Can this Golden Age of Islam be revived? On Saturday 14thDecember 2019, the first Ahmadiyya Muslim Research Association (AMRA) Conference, organised by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK (MKA UK), was held at the Masroor Hall in Islamabad, Tilford UK. Over 250 people attended the event throughout the day including 60 researchers. Delegates originated from 9 countries around the world. The concluding session of the event was graced with an address by His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Fifth Khalifah (Caliph). The Review of Religions is pleased to present the official transcript of the addressed delivered by His Holiness on this occasion.

After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz and Bismillah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Fifth Khalifah (Caliph) said:

[191] إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
[192] الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

‘These verses of the Holy Qur’an I have just recited are verses 191-192 of Surah Aal-e-‘Imran and the translation is as follows:

“In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day there are indeed Signs for men of understanding; Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain; nay, Holy art Thou; save us, then, from the punishment of the Fire.”

Today, with the Grace of Allah, you are holding the first International AMRA Conference.

I hope and pray that the event has proven beneficial and a source of learning for all of the participants.

In many verses of the Holy Qur’an, including those just recited, Allah the Almighty has mentioned the creation of the heavens and the earth and He has instructed us to reflect upon the true purpose of our creation.

He has encouraged us to use our brains, to ponder upon His creation and to search for new roads of human progress and innovation, through research and reflection.

Indeed, Allah the Almighty has deemed humans as the ‘best of creation’ because of the fact that we have been granted intelligence and understanding.

We have been granted the ability to differentiate between right and wrong.

We have been given the ability to think and comprehend.

Unique amongst all creation, Allah the Almighty has given mankind the insight to appreciate that whatever He has created has been made for our benefit, on condition that we use it in the right way.

Certainly, out of all the heavenly scriptures, the Holy Qur’an is unique in terms of the vast amount of insight it has given about the universe and its inception and how it has encouraged scientific research and the pursuit of knowledge.

In this regard, the Promised Messiah (as) [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian] has stated that when a believer studies and ponders over the celestial bodies and the entire universe, it causes their minds to open up and for them to become enlightened.

The result is that they are led towards a firm belief in the existence of God Almighty, as they see the signs and evidence for His existence all around them.

On the other hand, the interests of worldly and non-religious researchers are finite and narrow.

When they study something, they assess it in a limited way.

However, a righteous person is not satisfied by merely identifying the dimensions of the world, its material form or calculating the gravitational forces.

Nor are they content by simply determining the main characteristics of the sun, the moon and the stars; rather, a true believer will continually strive and struggle to observe and understand the perfect harmony of nature and the world around us.

He or she will have an unquenchable thirst to identify the hidden characteristics or potential of the physical world and as they realise its brilliance and perfection, they will inevitably be drawn towards their Creator and their faith in the existence of God Almighty will be enhanced.

Consequently, when an intelligent person reflects carefully upon the heavens and the earth, the universe and why the length of the night and day remains constantly in a state of flux, it causes them to perceive God Almighty and appreciate His perfect creation.

When they see God Almighty in this way and recognise His majesty, they turn towards him with increased fervency and passion and seek His Help and Grace, in their efforts to further understand and unlock the mysteries of the universe.

In order to attain His blessings and help, they remember Him whilst standing, sitting and resting, just as has been described as the state of a righteous believer in the verses of the Holy Qur’an recited.

When they pray to Allah for guidance, He grants them clarity of thought, He enlightens their minds and washes away the haze of incomprehension that previously existed.
He grants them an understanding of the universe and planets and they come to recognise with certainty, that such a perfect and precise natural order could never have come about by chance or on its own; rather, it is a reflection and indicator of a Great Creator.

Indeed, it is a testament to the existence of a Universal Creator.

Those people, whose minds are opened in this way, bow down before their Creator and pray that they are saved from His Wrath and that He guides them towards prosperity and a deeper understanding of His creation.

In a similar vein, the Promised Messiah (as) has stated that the continued study of physics, astronomy and the sciences will always lead a righteous person towards God Almighty.
The more they learn about God’s creation and the world around them, the more they will appreciate the beauty of Allah the Almighty through the wonders of the universe.
Once a believer gains such knowledge and insight, he or she is not just able to guide others about the latest scientific developments, rather they will also be tooled with the armoury to prove to the world the existence of that One God, who is the Creator of all creation.

This is the symbol of a true believer, the means of their success and their path to attaining real honour and prestige in the world.

It was in this way, reflecting upon the universe, that Professor Dr Abdus Salam Sahib spent his life and he used whatever insight he gained as evidence to prove the existence of God.

Dr Abdus Salam, a devout member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, was the first Muslim scientist ever to win the Nobel Prize.

Dr Abdus Salam had a vision for the socio-economic development of third-world countries and saw development in the progress of science. PHOTO:FILE

Hence, all Ahmadi researchers or academics should continually keep in view the Oneness of God Almighty before, during and after conducting any research or study.

They should seek to conduct their investigations with the firm intention of eliciting evidence that will enable them to prove the existence of the One God to sceptics and disbelievers and to refute those who claim that science and religion are irreconcilable.

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