ISLAM IN ENGLAND
Muhammad Yakub Khan
Activities of the Woking Muslim Mission, England
B.B.C. Television Episode
Two notable events occurred which will be of interest to readers in Pakistan. The first was the slanderous reference by Lord Attlee, one-time Labour Prime Minister, to the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The indignation which the uncalled-for and unmerited attacks on the Founder of Pakistan evoked in that country was reported in The Times, The Observer and several other newspapers. The Pakistani community in this country was also very hurt about it. One of Lord Attlee’s strictures was that although Mr. Jinnah, when he launched the Pakistan struggle, ran a pukka Muslim show, he was not much of a Muslim himself, as he had married a Parsee wife. This, obviously, only betrayed his own ignorance. To refute this misconception, the Imam, the Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking, wrote a letter to The Times, saying:
Sir – This is just to correct Lord Attlee’s B.B.C. television reference to Mr. Jinnah on two points – a point of fact and point of Islamic law. The lady Mr. Jinnah married no doubt came of a Parsec family, but she had embraced Islam before he took her into this marriage. Even, however, had there been no conversion, it would have been nothing un-Islamic on Mr. Jinnah’s part to have married her. A Muslim is permitted to marry a woman professing faith in a revealed religion.
The Editor in his letter dated 7th January 1959, acknowledging the receipt of the letter, only said “that its contents have been carefully noted.” This is a polite way of saying that he is not publishing it. It is unfortunate that the Press in this country shows scant respect for the feelings of the people of Pakistan.
Pakistan Society Function
The Quaid-i-Azam’s birthday anniversary was celebrated on 7th January 1958, under the auspices of the Pakistan Society, at Overseas House. H.E. Mr. Ikram Ullah, Pakistan’s High Commissioner, presided. Tributes were paid to the Quaid’s memory by a number of distinguished Englishmen, including Lord Patrick Lawrence, Lord Birdwood, General Gracey and Sir Frederick Borne. Colonel Knowles, who served as the Quaid’s Military Secretary till his last days, in a message deprecated Lord Attlee’s strictures on him as the outcome of ignorance. The most touching tribute came from Sir Olaf Caroe, who described the Quaid as a great leader who appears only once in ages.
A notable feature was a song by Pakistan children in honour of the Quaid-i-Azam the famous poem with the burden “Millat Ka Pasbaan Muhammad Ali Jinnah”. After the song, the Begum Ikram Ullah, in very moving words, gave its English translation. Another highlight of the function was a documentary film showing the birth of Pakistan. The early scenes featuring The Quaid i-Azam and his lieutenants were most touching.
Credit for this very successful show is due to Sir Harold Schobert, Secretary of the Pakistan Society, who spares no pains to promote a better understanding about Pakistan in this country.
An Objection against Islam refuted.
On the religious side, an atheist newspaper in London, The Freethinker, in its issue of 2nd January 1959, published an article under the heading “The God of the Astronomers”, which held up to ridicule the account of the origin of Creation, as given in the Book of Genesis, in the light of modern astronomical discoveries. For that view of Creation, the article, without any rhyme or reason, bracketed Islam with Judaism and Christianity. Consequently, the Imam of the Shah Jahan Mosque sent the following refutation to the paper:
The God of the Qur’an
Sir, – I have read with interest the article of Mr. F. A. Ridley under the heading “The God of the Astronomers” in your issue of 2nd January 1959. I can quite understand the learned writer exposing the story of Creation as given in Genesis in the light of modern scientific penetration into the mysteries of space, but when he brackets Islam with Judaism and Christianity in respect of the Creation story, obviously he takes Islam’s position for granted. If he had the trouble to consult the Qur’an on this particular point, he would have hesitated to put Islam in the same boat with the other two sister religions. Indeed, the light thrown on the starry creation in the Qur’an should have made him revise his whole attitude towards the question of God’s existence and His creativity. For the present I would call attention to three statements made in the Qur’an in this connection:
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ ٱلْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَـٰتِ رَبِّى لَنَفِدَ ٱلْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَـٰتُ رَبِّى وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِۦ مَدَدًا
“That this creation is so undoubted that even if there were oceans of ink, it would be insufficient to cover its full extent” (18:109).
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
”and [fail to see that] it is He who has created the night and the day and the sun and the moon – all of them floating through space!” (21:33).
لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
“That the sun and the moon revolve along their respective orbits, and each is debarred from encroaching upon the other’s orbit” (36: 40).
I would leave it to Mr. Ridley’s judgment to say whether:
1.This is not in exact conformity with the facts as disclosed by modern astronomy?
2.And if so, what quarrel can he, in all fairness, have with the God of the Qur’an?
MUHAMMAD YAKUB KHAN,
Imam, The Mosque, Woking, Surrey, England.
Publishing the letter in its issue of 9th January 1959, under the heading ”The God of the Qur’an, “the paper added the following note from the writer of the article by way of comment”:
”Mr. Ridley writes: I merely stated that Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, believes in Creation by God out of nothing. I have always understood that Islam accepts the Old Testament as Divinely inspired, and regards Moses – the reputed author of Genesis – as one of Muhammad’s greatest predecessors in the role of Prophet, Does our correspondent deny this ?” – Editor.
The comment, obviously, contained another misconception about Islam, calling for further correspondence. The following letter was sent as a clarification of this second misconception:
Islam and the Old Testament
Sir, – Excuse me encroaching upon your valuable space once more. This is with reference to Mr. Ridley’s comments on my letter in your last issue. His statement that Islam accepts the Old Testament as Divinely inspired is only partially true. The correct Islamic viewpoint is that, though originally inspired, the Old and New Testaments, as they have come down to us, are an admixture of the original text of the revelations with a great deal of meddling therein by the succeeding generations of Jews and Christians. Should Mr. Ridley refer to the Qur’an, he will find it as definite charge repeatedly brought against the Jews that they corrupted the text of God’s original revelation to Moses, by alterations or additions or suppressions of their own. Verses to this effect are too many to bother your readers with, such as 2:42, 2 : 75, 2 : 79, 4 : 46, 5 : 15.
It is thus not fair to make Islam responsible for the Genesis story of Creation. The fact is the Qur’anic approach to such big questions as the existence of God, the origin of Creation, immortality, life-after-death, is more in keeping with the standards of free thought than the Old or New Testaments – that is to say, a strictly scientific approach. The only difference between Islam and free thought is that while following identical tracks or rational thinking, they arrive at different conclusions – Islam at God’s existence, free thought at His denial. Rather than shake the Islamic conclusion, latest advances of science and technology in the direction of space and its unbounded mysteries only go to reinforce the same.
MUHAMMAD YAKUB KHAN,
Imam, The Mosque, Woking, Surrey.
Newcomers into the Islamic Brotherhood
Our main work here is to give the people a true picture of what Islam stands for, and what it teaches, and to dispel the clouds of misconception that have been nurtured for centuries. As these clouds are lifting – thanks to the half-a-century’s labours of this Mission – we find in Islamic principles and teachings an echo of their own deepest yearnings, and every now and then we receive visitors who want to embrace Islam or letters containing such declarations of faith. There is quite a steady flow of such voluntary seekers after truth. The following is the list of such newcomers to Islam for the past fortnight or so:
Miss Imma Lucie Lemcke, 50, Sugden Road, London, S.W.11.
Mr. Alwyn Joseph Boyd, Maylers Avwue, Jamaica, B.W.I.’
ner. Jesse Smitherm’an, Box 349, Caldwell, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Mr. Robert Jan Hartgers, 35 Pernestraat, Castricum, Holland.
Mr. Albert John Jones, 114 Carnforth Gardens, Elm. Park, Hornchurch, Essex.
Miss Jeanie Esther Dallebach, c/o A.Beg, Karachi Airport.
(The Light – January 24, 1959)
