Muslim Meditations

Translation of the Holy Quran marks fulfillment of a mission

Islam does not leave any room for compulsion in religion. We have chosen to follow Imam Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian so if you deny is advent and regard him as an impostor, leave us alone in peace.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw) says the best among Muslims is the one from his hand and tongue other Muslims are saved. As true Muslims, we Ahmadis detest arrogance, terrorism, all forms of excess and hurting other Muslims and people of all other heavenly religions by our tongue. However, we are duty-bound to respond appropriately to charges leveled against Islam and our Jama’at.

Translation is Tip of the Iceberg

With branches in 180 countries in Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Australia and Europe, the Jamaat is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and fastest growing religious sects under the sun. At present the Community’s total membership stands at over 200 million people.

One of the greatest services that the Ahmadiyya Community is rendering to Islam and mankind in general is translation and publication of the Holy Quran in various languages.

So far the Holy Quran has been translated in over 51 languages. These include Albanian, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Fijian, French, German, Greek, Gurumukhi, Indonesian, Japanese, Luganda, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, English, Hindi, Igbo, Kikuyu, Punjabi, Tuvula, Urdu, Bangla, Swedish and Yoruba.

In addition, selected verses of the Holy Quran have been translated and published in 100 languages of the world and selected sayings of the Holy Prophet (saw) have been translated and published in 91 different languages, including Mandinka. Similarly, selected writings of the Promised Messiah have been translated and published in 86 languages.

In the Gambia the entire text of the Holy Quran has just been translated in three major languages- Wollof, Mandinka and Pularr. The material is the end product of nine (9) long years of hard work by Jamaat Ahmadiyya the Gambia. In other words, translation of the Holy Quran in three Gambian languages brings the total number of languages into which the Divine scripture has been translated by the Ahmdiyya Jama’at to 54.

This is an astonishing amount of work and service to mankind. For the first time in the history of Islam, the Holy Quran has been translated in languages of our sub-region. This tremendous achievement and service to mankind is credit to the Gambia and a source of pride for all well-meaning Muslim scholars, clerics and ordinary true Muslims. By the Grace of Allah the material is going fast. Everyday dozens of copies are bought.

The publication of the translated versions of the Holy Book by Jama’at Ahmadiyya the Gambia is a tip of the iceberg. As Ahmadis, we take deep pride in the fact that our Jama’at is highly reputed as a pace-setter around the globe. Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala judges man and communities by their intention and motive.

Our motive in translating the Holy Quran is to create an opportunity for millions of Muslim men, women, old and young, to partake of the blessing that one derives from reading and digesting the Holy Verses in ones won mother tongue. Allah says in the Holy Quran ‘Vie with one another in good deeds and shun all evil’.

We challenge other sects or parties to vie with us in good deeds rather than trying to make people turn their back on the Holy Book. Allah, Almighty had commissioned Harzat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) to revive and support the true faith of Islam. Part of his mission is to invite people to partake of the heavenly banquet.

His Khilafat is here so that the people who slid back into an irreligious state or forsake their Creator can be recharged with the true spirit of the religion. One principal way of fulfilling this divinely guided mission is to render the Holy scripture readable and digestible in as many languages as possible, Wollof, Mandinka and Pularr being no exception.

It can be concluded that translation of the Holy Book into various languages by the worldwide Ahmadiyya Jama’at has been decreed and destined.

All well meaning Gambians, friends and well-wishers of the Gambia have reason to be proud of this breakthrough.

Over the past 20 years the Non-formal Education Division of the Department of State for Education, in collaboration with scores of local and international partners, have made it possible for thousands of Gambian men and women in out rural areas to be functionally literate.

A good proportion of the rural folk, who would have otherwise been deprived of the privilege and benefit of being literate, can now read and write in their own language.

How many of these people can now take the Holy Quran, read it and act on its teachings as the cardinal Divine law? Are you telling me these people and their families should heed the ridiculous advice of a bunch of irresponsible religious leaders and turn their back on the Holy Book.

Far from it! When news of the translation of the Holy Book filtered through the country scores of communities and functionally literate groups started expressing deep interest in procuring copies.

The worldwide Jama’at has and will continue to produce Islamic literature until the last day. It is all geared towards aiding mankind to seek the pleasure of God Almighty. Books, journals and other forms of literature on a wide range of topics are produced in abundance every year and distributed to millions of people across the world. The Promised Messiah (as) alone wrote about 85 books and pamphlets.

The Ahmadiyya Jama’at has built hundreds of mosques in Africa, North America including Canada, Australia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia. Hundreds of missionaries of different categories and nationality are working tirelessly around the globe, spreading the true message of Islam as vouchsafed to the Promised Messiah (as) through our master Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw).