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July Fourth Celebration

by avphilly07/05/2016

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“As citizens of any country, we Ahmadi Muslims, will always show absolute love and loyalty to the State. Every Ahmadi Muslim has a desire for his chosen country to excel and should always endeavour towards this objective. Whenever a country requires its citizens to make sacrifices the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat will always be ready to bear such sacrifices for the sake of the nation.” ~ Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, 5th Khalifa of the Promised Messiah

Sincere Obedience

Islam requires every Muslim to be loyal to his country – regardless of the ruler’s faith. The Holy Quran states, “O ye who believe, obey Allah and obey the Prophet and obey those in authority from among you” (4:60). In Islam, therefore, loyalty first belongs to God, obedience to others authority being derived from Him. As a sovereign can demand obedience from his constituency because he is responsible for their safety, obedience to such a one becomes obedience to God. Prophet Muhammad declared, “Whoso obeys the ruler obeys me, and whoso disobeys the ruler disobeys me” (Muslim); “Listen to and obey your ruler, even if you [despise him]” (Bukhari).

Prophet Muhammad’s life mirrored this teaching. Despite enduring bitter persecution for more than a decade in Mecca, Prophet Muhammad and his followers did not defy the Meccan government. Rather, the Muslims peacefully left Mecca, abstaining from sowing any seed of dissension—exemplifying the Quranic injunction, “Create not disorder in the earth” (2:13).

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community champions loyalty to one’s country. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, declared, “Obedience to governmental authority is one of [Islam’s] imperatives” (Works and Speeches, Vol. I, p. 261); “To entertain ill-will against a government under whom life is lived in freedom and there is complete security and religious obligations can be discharged to the full is a criminal step and not Jihad… Thus, God Almighty had established me on the principle that sincere obedience and gratitude should be rendered to a benign government such as the British Government. My Community and I are bound by this principle” (Tohfah Qaisariyya, pp. 9-10).

Loyalty to America, however, does not prevent peaceful dissent. Both the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Holy Quran guarantee this very right. Dissent, however, must be expressed within the confines of the law—no Muslim can take the law into his own hands. The Holy Quran (2:12-16) states that creating disorder can lead to damnation – not salvation.

Loyalty to America, however, does not prevent peaceful dissent. Both the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Holy Quran guarantee this very right. Dissent, however, must be expressed within the confines of the law—no Muslim can take the law into his own hands. The Holy Quran (2:12-16) states that creating disorder can lead to damnation – not salvation.

Love

Islam requires Muslims to not only obey their government, but actively love their country – as Prophet Muhammad instructed, “Love of one’s country is a part of faith” (Sakhavi; Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 8, pg. 525; Mizan al-Hikmah, Hadith # 21928). Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, declared, “It should be the duty of every Muslim to render true and sincere obedience … and offer heartfelt gratitude to such an authority and pray for their welfare.”

Accordingly, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA has conducted nationwide leaflet campaigns to spread the message of peace. We recently conducted the largest nationwide blood drive in America’s history, collecting more than 11,000 blood bags in commemoration of the lives lost on 9/11. We are at the forefront of disaster relief in America and worldwide through an independent charitable organization, Humanity First (www.humanityfirst.org).

http://www.muslimsforpeace.org/loyalty/
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