Times of Ahmad: Australia: Melbourne School of Theology students visit Ahmadiyya Bait-ul-Salam mosque in Langwarrin

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: AMJ - Victoria / Australia
By AMJ - Victoria | September 22, 2014

On Friday 19th of September 2014 Dr Bernie Power and a group of theology students from Melbourne School of Theology (MST) visited the Ahmadiyya mosque and community centre ‘Bait-ul-Salam’ (House of Peace) in Langwarrin. The students observed Friday sermon, congregational prayer and were given a brief presentation on the history and teachings of Islam and Ahmadiyya community by Imam Janud of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Victoria.

Melbourne School of Theology is an evangelical Christian theological college which was founded in 1920 as Melbourne Bible Institute (MBI) to train Christian missionaries to serve with the China Inland Mission in China.

During his Friday sermon Imam Janud recited the verses from the Holy Quran that translate;

"you are the best of people who have been raised for the good of whole mankind, you enjoin that is good and forbid that is evil and you believe in God."

He said, before all our ritualistic forms of worship, there is a greater form of worship, and that is discharging the rights of our fellow human-beings, regardless of their faith, colour and creed. This was the practice of our Holy Master Muhammad (SAW) and this is what a Muslim is supposed to do. He said how can one even imagine standing before God and praying and seeking His guidance, when his conduct to fellow brothers and sisters is questionable? Such prayers and other forms of ritualistic worships are completely useless and vain. In-fact God has cursed such prayers in the Holy Quran.

He presented an analogy, which the fourth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community would use in order to explain rights of God and rights of men. His holiness explained it by saying that just as a person who wishes to build a two storey house, cannot build the second floor first and build the ground floor after, likewise a person who wishes the fulfil and discharge the rights of God cannot do so without first fulfilling and discharging the rights of people.

After the sermon and Friday prayers students were shown ‘The Holy Quran Exhibition’ and the book-stall where they keenly read the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s published books and literature and took pictures. They asked questions and took notes.

A brief presentation was also given to the students by Imam Janud on Islam, its history and teachings. Students asked questions on differences between Ahmadiyya and the mainstream Islam. Imam Janud said as far as the prayers and basic beliefs are concerned, Ahmadiyya Muslims are exactly the same with very minor differences here and there but one and only big difference is that Ahmadiyya Muslims believe that the long await prophesised Messiah and the Imam Mahdi of Islam has come in the form the Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (a.s), the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement. He founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1889 and reformed Islam to its purest and original form. He said that Ahmad (a.s) (1835-1908) created a community which firmly believes in peace, tolerance, dialogue, community relations and separation of mosque/church and state.

Students asked range of questions on Ahmadiyya view-point on the life of Jesus Christ, Arabic as the language of the Holy Quran, Islamic culture and concept of an Islamic state, Ahmadiyya persecution, and universality of Islam as a religion and the concept of finality of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Islam.

The question and answers session continued for more than one and half hour and everyone in attendance appreciated the patience and high level of tolerance of all participants and despite having completely different viewpoints the pleasant environment of mutual respect and sharing ideas was highly appreciated.

Guests were provided refreshments at the end of the session. Dr Power and MST students thanked Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Victoria’s hospitality and for providing the opportunity of observing an Ahmadiyya mosque and the Friday prayers.

-- Students from Melbourne School of Theology Students visit Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Victoria’s ‘Bait-ul-Salam’ (House of Peace) mosque in Langwarrin

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