Ahmadiyya Muslim Community held an event to talk about the character of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

By Attiya Ghani, Neighbor

Jan 10, 2020     http://www.patch.com

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) held an event on November 9 at the Baitul Ata Mosque in Norcross to talk about the character of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him) and lessons from his life. Members of AMC believe that the Messiah of the latter days has arrived in the personage of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908). The program began with the recitation of Holy Quran followed by translation and a poem in praise of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Keynote Address was given by Imam Hammad Ahmad on the topic of “Staying Principled through Adversity and Prosperity”. He started his address with Qur’anic verse which states that, “Verily you have in the Prophet of God an excellent model, for him who fears God and the Last Day and who remembers God much” (33:22). He asked the audience interesting questions, such as, “What would you do if you had a million dollars?” Answers were, by pay zakat (a form of charity), get a new house, invest in a business, and pay off debt.

Imam Ahmad proceeded to talk about what Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him) would have done in the above situation. When he received the mantle of prophethood, he faced untold persecution at the hands of the Meccan leaders who felt threatened by the call to worship of one God. He and his companions were beaten, whipped, tortured, and murdered just because they said that there is only one God. This persecution continued for 13 years in Mecca. Under God’s guidance he and his followers migrated to Medina but he still did not have peace there. The Meccans chased him and engaged in battles with the Prophet and the Muslim community. He lived in extreme poverty at both places. In this poverty he just worshipped his Lord, prayed for disbelievers and maintained a smile. He lived with strength and character in adversity.

When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) conquered Mecca and acquired manpower and wealth, he did not seek revenge on his enemies. He forgave the killer of his daughter and wife. And he said that today there is no blame on any one of you. Imam Ahmad concluded his speech by saying that the era of prosperity was no different than adversity.

Second speaker was Danial Ahmad who spoke about “Inspiring Change in the Time of Conflict”. He said that we live in an era of conflict. Some of us would say that it is necessary to have conflict for healthy discussions. But we will have to account for everything that comes with it- like millions of people died in Iraq, Somalian, Gaza and Libyan Civil War, domestic conflicts and divorce rate going up, and there is gigantic difference between rich and poor and this is all result of conflict. 1400 years ago, a man faced all of these conflicts single handedly. He changed the world with justice patience and tolerance.

During the question and answer session, a question was that looking at history, this is the behavior of every prophet, so why is Muhammad different and why we should follow him? Imam Ahmad answered that every prophet goes through the same persecution. To explain, he gave the example of evolution of different operating systems of Microsoft Windows. We believe that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the latest version of religious operating system. As man’s mental capacity increased, God kept updating the spiritual operating systems as well. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) brought the complete operating system which was offered by God.

Another question was what is Jihad? Imam Ahmad explained that the Qur’an says striving in the way of God and improving one’s self is Jihad. A guest asked why did Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) have multiple wives. Imam Ahmad replied that he was not the only one to have multiple wives, many other prophets did. Bible says David had multiple wives. It is a human practice which is allowed in Islam. This is allowed in Islam in certain situations. Messengers of God have to educate everyone including women. Therefore, the prophet teaches his wife who can educate other women. A prophet can sit with his wife day and night and teach her but cannot do the same with other women.

A child asked a question that how could one smile while he had to face a lot of hardship and bullying at every level? Imam Ahmad replied that we all go through pain and suffering, and moments of depression. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) went through more pain than a lot of people and he did not quit worshipping his Lord. Because he thought that God is his therapist so he complained to Him and yet he came through everything smiling. We don’t realize that there is a God there who supports and becomes our therapist and speaks to us.

Another question was that why always fundamentalist Islam is represented? Imam replied that fundamentalism means basic and the basis of Islam is peace, harmony and love your neighbor. And if you want to see fundamentalism of Islam then read a book of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

Dr. Khairul Bahri, president of AMC, GA chapter, thanked all the guests. The event was concluded with silent prayer. It was an informative session with an attendance of more than 200 members and guests.

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