Editorial

Allah Almighty informs us in the glorious Qur’an that He never a fflicts a people with the punishment of His wrath until after He has sent a Warner unto them (Ch.17: V.16). The world has, in this age, witnessed pestilence, famine, wars, earthquakes and other calamities of unprecedented severity and unparalleled magnitude in such rapid succession as to embitter life. This, in itself, is testimony that Allah, the Exalted, must have raised that Divine Warner before these catastrophes visited the earth. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian, the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, was indeed that Divine Warner who was raised as the Promised Messiah of the Latter Days. His entire life was devoted to the establishment of the Unity of Allah and the truth of the Holy Prophet of Islam(sa). In light of Divine revelation vouchsafed unto him of impending chastisement for mankind and out of a deeply moved and disturbed heart, he admonished humanity to discard the worship of false gods and turn, in sincere repentance, to the One True God. This month features the reiteration of that message in the form of an address delivered by Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(ru), the Fourth Successor to the Promised Messiah( a s ). Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(ru) cautions against the dark aspects of the social tendencies of the so-called modern man and warns of the severe calamity which awaits him if, in his delusions of grandeur, he continues to violate the limits prescribed by His Maker. However, as Hadhrat Mirza Tahir A h m a d( r u ) concluded, Allah Almighty has promised in the Holy Qur’an that His mercy encompasses all things (Ch.7: 2 The Review of Religions – January 2005 By Bockarie Tommy Kallon EDITORIAL V.157). It is with this Message of Hope that he implored: ‘Basing myself on this Q u r’anic fundamental, I, Fourth Successor of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian, Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement, call all of you to my Lord and your Lord and convey to you the good news that these grave prophecies of ruin and destruction can be averted and man can become heir to G o d ’s mercy instead of earning His chastisement.’ As we enter into the new year with the dream of world peace as elusive as ever, with grave tensions around the world threatening man with self- immolation, it is our sincere hope that humankind would seriously reflect and act upon this admonition even if after more than two decades since it was given. We wish our readership a happy, peaceful and blessed 2005. 3 EDITORIAL The Review of Religions – January 2005 In this journal, for the ease of non-Muslim readers, ‘(sa)’ or ‘sa’ after the words, ‘Holy Prophet’, or the name ‘Muhammad’, are used. They stand for ‘Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ meaning ‘Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him’. Likewise, the letters ‘(as)’ or ‘as’ after the name of all other prophets is an abbreviation meaning ‘Peace be upon him’ derived from ‘Alaihis salatu wassalam’ for the respect a Muslim reader utters. The abbreviation ‘ra’ or (ra) stands for ‘ R a d h i a l l a h u Ta’ala anhu and is used for Companions of a Prophet, meaning Allah be pleased with him or her (when followed by the relevant Arabic pronoun). Finally, ‘ru’ or (ru) for R a h e m a h u l l a h u Ta ’ a l a means the Mercy of Allah the Exalted be upon h i m.