☪️ In Islam, is it forbidden to shake hands with the opposite gender❓️
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) provided the following guidance:
“Islam does not permit a man and a woman who are outside the prohibited degrees of marriage [non-mahram] to shake hands with one another. Therefore, such a man and woman should not shake hands with each other. It is also mentioned in the ahadith that the Holy Prophet (sa) would not shake hands with non-mahram women. (Sunan an-Nasa’i)
“The Promised Messiah (as) states in this regard:
“‘Look at the righteousness of our Lord and Master, the Greatest of the Prophets, Best of the Virtuous, Muhammad, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him! He would not shake hands even with chaste and pious women who came to pledge allegiance to him. Instead, he would seat them at a distance and exhort them only verbally regarding repentance.’
“Hazrat Maulvi Sher Ali (ra) relates, ‘Once, the late Dr Muhammad Ismail Khan submitted to the Promised Messiah (as) that an English lady doctor worked with him in the hospital and she was an elderly woman. She would sometimes shake his hand; what was the ruling regarding this? Hazrat Sahib (as) replied, “This is not permissible. You should excuse yourself by saying that this is not permissible in our religion.”’
“Thus, Islam forbids handshaking between a non-mahram man and woman. However, where a mahram relationship exists, there appears to be no objection to a man and woman shaking hands.”
A lady from the USA wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), regarding his address to the ladies at Jalsa Salana Germany, wherein he drew the attention of women towards becoming brave and learning self-defence.
In this regard, she asked whether learning to shoot a gun can attain the pleasure of Allah the Exalted.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) provided the following guidance:
“As for becoming brave, it does not only mean that a person knows how to use a bow and arrow, a sword, or a gun and pistol and is therefore brave.
“Rather, true bravery is that fear should be removed from the heart and one should resolutely combat the evils spreading in society.
“One should always remember that it is contrary to the dignity of a believer to fall into evil by being overawed by anyone without reason.
“Yes, if you wish to learn how to shoot a gun, it is a good thing; courage is also instilled through these things.
“However, to attain the pleasure of Allah the Exalted, it is necessary to follow all His commandments. A believer should strive for this.”
Someone from Rabwah wrote to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that in the book Deeni Ma‘lumat [Basic Religious Knowledge] published by Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, it is written regarding the murder of Lekh Ram that Allah the Almighty made him the prey of the “Sword of Muhammad (sa)” through an angel. Similarly, an Ahmadi friend wrote a narration on the internet stating that Lekh Ram’s killer murdered him, went into a room, which was bolted from the outside. There was only a small vent in that room and when the room was opened, the killer had vanished. However, in light of the writings of the Promised Messiah (as), it is my view that Lekh Ram’s killer was a human being and not an angel. I request guidance from Huzoor (aa).
Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa) provided the following answer to this question:
“Your point is correct. Regarding the murder of Lekh Ram, it is absolutely not the belief of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat that he was killed by an angel. Rather, the belief of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in this regard is that this was a mighty divine sign which Allah the Almighty manifested out of His protective zeal [ghayrat] for the Holy Prophet (sa) and to demonstrate the truthfulness of his spiritual son, the Promised Messiah (as). He granted the Promised Messiah (as) news of this beforehand and then fulfilled it exactly in accordance with this prophecy. Thus, the Promised Messiah (as) writes regarding this sign:
“‘Second, there was the promise in these revelations in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, that He would manifest those Signs which would involve the actions of human beings. So, the prophecy related to Lekh Ram occurred in accordance with this because this Sign was manifested by means of someone who killed Lekh Ram. It is apparent that for this prophecy, God roused the heart of someone to want to murder him and created every opportunity for him to be able to complete his task.’
“Similarly, mentioning this sign in Malfuzat, Huzoor (as) states:
“‘In the matter of Lekh Ram, the hidden hand of God can clearly be seen at work. The fact that the murderer had come to be made a Hindu; the fact that Lekh Ram trusted him to the extent that he took him home without hesitation; the fact that on the evening of the murder, all of Lekh Ram’s other guests returned to their homes and he was left alone with the assailant; the fact that the murderer resolved to do the deed on exactly the second day of Eid; the fact that Lekh Ram stopped writing and stretched his arms, thus exposing his stomach; the fact that a clean strike was made with the knife; the fact that God silenced Lekh Ram such that despite being conscious and despite knowing that I had made a prophecy against him, his not expressing even for a moment that: ‘I am suspicious of Mirza Sahib’; furthermore, the fact that to this day, the whereabouts of his murderer are unknown; all of these are the actions of God Almighty, which shed light on His awe-inspiring power and strength.’
“I am writing to Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya for the correction in Deeni Ma‘lumat. However, if someone has written such a narration on the internet that is not in accordance with the Jamaat’s belief, it cannot, in any case, be called the stance of the Jamaat.”
The problem of suffering can be difficult to grapple with, especially when one directly witnesses significant pain and hardship in the world. It is therefore important to temporarily set aside emotions and approach the issue with careful and logical reflection.
1. God is beyond human understanding
“Lack of knowledge regarding something does not necessitate its non-existence.”
Likewise, not seeing the wisdom behind an event does not mean that no wisdom exists.
2. God will recompense humans for what they have suffered
Islamic theology teaches that suffering is not without purpose or reward. Calamities expiate sins, children who pass away at a young age will be in Paradise, and even parents who endure such loss are promised Allah’s mercy.
3. A world without suffering would require absolute equality and the removal of all diversity
Wherever there is variety and diversity, comparative suffering and happiness are bound to arise. If every inequality were removed, the next level of difference would become the new basis of comparison until all diversity disappeared altogether.
4. Much suffering arises from free will
Violence, dishonesty, reckless behaviour, harmful lifestyle choices and war all result from human decisions. Without free will there would be no moral responsibility, while removing every consequence of human choice would make free will unrealistic.
5. A stable world requires consistent natural laws
The same natural laws that sustain life can also, under certain conditions, produce harm. Natural disasters are not extra additions to nature but side effects of the systems that make life possible. The law of nature operates consistently through cause and effect.
6. Suffering has a meaningful role to play
Without suffering, happiness would lose meaning. Struggle has driven human development and progress, while virtues such as courage, patience, compassion, perseverance, forgiveness and sacrifice become meaningful only in the presence of hardship.
7. Human language cannot fully describe divine realities
The words and concepts used to describe God are only the closest approximations available. Divine goodness cannot be fully equated with human moral categories. The objection therefore remains limited by human language and understanding, while God remains beyond complete human comprehension.
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📜 Revisiting the century-old debate
Prophets of God do not live forever. Like all human beings, they are born, they live, and they die. Yet the mission entrusted to them, to convey God’s message and fill the earth with divine grace and blessings, extends far beyond the span of their earthly lives.
The most Benevolent God elongates the lives and missions of His messengers through the institution of Khilafat, so that the world may never be deprived of the blessings of messengership in any age.
The Holy Prophet (sa) said:
“There has never been a prophethood which was not succeeded by Khilafat.”
The Promised Messiah (as) was a prophet of God. This was his claim and this was the title bestowed upon him by the Almighty God in various revelations. Therefore, following the continuous practice of God, what should naturally come after his prophethood is the institution of Khilafat.
The Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-e-Islam Lahore broke off from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on the basis of Khilafat. According to them, the Anjuman founded by the Promised Messiah (as) is his rightful successor. More than a century has passed since then, and the respective conditions of both the Qadian and the Lahori Jamaat are evident for all to observe. The Ahmadiyya Khilafat stands strong with the support of Allah the Almighty to this day.
The Promised Messiah (as) made it clear in The Will that, just like the Holy Prophet (sa) was succeeded by Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and other Khulafa, he too would be succeeded by Khilafat, the “second manifestation” of divine power.
Throughout the hundred-year history of the Jamaat, Allah the Almighty has continued to extend His mighty hands in support of the Jamaat, fulfilling the prophecy of the Promised Messiah (as), while the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, under the leadership of Khilafat, continues to present and spread the pristine message of Islam to all the corners of the earth.
The Holy Quran speaks of the Messenger (sa) of Allah as one who was “raised among the unlettered (people)”, and “among others from among them who have not yet joined them.”
Earlier Muslim grammarians and exegetes preserved two readings of wa-akharina minhum. Al-Farra' and az-Zajjaj, a century apart, both recorded them as ordinary grammar.
The genitive reading: God raised the Messenger (sa) among the unlettered and among others from among them. The verb “He raised” (ba'atha) carries over to both.
The accusative reading: The later people are taught and purified by the Messenger (sa) just as the first people were taught and purified.
Earlier exegetes explained each reading within their own theology. But its sharper implication stayed latent – waiting for a claimant to draw it out.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) did not invent either grammatical route. Ahmadi literature accepts both and drew out their implication.
The verse places the Messenger (sa) himself in relation to the later people. His relation cannot be reduced to a message travelling through history.
By buruz is meant a representative-spiritual coming, in which the spiritual presence of the Messenger (sa) is renewed in a later figure without bringing a new Shari'ah.
The doctrine preserves the Seal of Prophethood by leaving the bearer of the buruz without an independent prophetic office.
Sunni, Twelver Shi‘i and Ibadi exegetes alike preserved the same two readings. The grammar stayed open for over a thousand years.
Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn Ashur took a different approach. He said the genitive reading is “not permissible” (la yajuz) and rerouted the syntax.
Ibn Ashur rerouted wa-akharina through “unto them” (‘alayhim), or read it as an object accompanying the action. Two old routes closed; a new one took their place.
For the Ahmadi reading, otherness doesn't mean absence. The Messenger (sa) is among the akharin through buruz, fulfilled in the Promised Messiah (as).
This was recognised grammar, not invented grammar. Ahmadi authors built real doctrinal weight on it.
Ibn ‘Ashur's prohibition is best understood as an answer to the Ahmadi argument, closing, after decades of Ahmadi material in print, exactly the grammar that argument depends on.