Rashid Ahmad American: Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Lifetime Commitment Award 2007

Alhaji Rashid Ahmad American is a formidable opponent when it comes to defending the honorable name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) and preaching the message of Islam wherever he goes in this world.


In America, we owe a dept of gratitude to Bro. Rashid, as he is affectionately known in the African American community, for his leadership, wisdom and spiritual guidance for the thousands of converts who have come in contact with him. He has always been a humble man with a love for Islam/Ahmadiyyat. From his humble beginnings in St. Louis, Bro. Rashid's personal journey has taken him from American ghettos to an emerging nation, Pakistan, in 1945.


Bro. Rashid is a unique and self-made man, who loves the Holy Qur'an. Bro. Rashid's love for Allah and His creations is characterized by the many, many years of dedication and sacrifice by one man, who has served our community in so many leadership positions.


But for Bro. Rashid, all of his life has been for the sake of Islam. He simply says: "I'm a lover of Tabligh. If you love Islam, you must spread the message of Islam."



Who was Mufti Muhammad Sadiq?

Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq was an early companion of the Promised Messiah, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as). He converted to Ahmadiyyat at an early age and dedicated the rest of his life to the service of Islam in India, USA, and Pakistan. In 1920 at the instruction of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra), the then head of the Ahmadiyya community, Hadhrat Mufti Sadiq left India by ship to travel to the US as a missionary.

The story of his travel to the US, and subsequent stay is remarkable by any standard. He entered the US without any financial resources, and embarked upon spreading the message of Islam in an area that was completely alien to his native culture. Consequently he faced many difficulties, trials, and tribulations.

Despite the difficulties, Mufti Sadiq Sahib remained steadfast to his objective. In a span of few years, he succeeded in winning the hearts of almost 700 Americans towards Islam. He thus single-handedly initiated the Ahmadiyya Community in the US. His other achievements include starting a religious magazine, The Muslim Sunrise, for the American audience, and setting up the first missionary mosque in the US in Chicago in 1921. These efforts have borne much fruit since then. Muslim Sunrise continues its quarterly publication to this date, and can be read online at www.muslimsunrise.com. The first Ahmadi mosque in the US has been rebuilt and named Al Sadiq mosque after its founder.

What is Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Lifetime Commitment Award?

The award is given on behalf of MKA (USA) to honor individuals who symbolize the spirit of Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq (ra). These are individuals who entered the fold of Ahmadiyyat at a time when the Ahmadiyya community was still in its infancy in the US in many respects. They are therefore, like Mufti Sadiq Sahib, the pioneers of Ahmadiyyat in the US. The award recipients also, like Mufti Sadiq sahib, faced tremendous difficulties. Yet they sacrificed their time, energy, wealth, and indeed their entire lives so that they could withhold and spread the message of Islam in the US.

What is the relationship of this award with MKA USA?

It was during their khuddam years that most of the recepients of this award entered into Islam/Ahmadiyyat. The Ahmadi youth in the US owes a great debt of gratitude to the noble souls who sacrificed so much for the sake of community. They symbolize what Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya strives for - service and sacrifice. In doing so they have created shining examples for our youth to gain inspiration from.

Who are the recipients of this award?

Rasheed Ahmad Sahib (Milwaukee) - award given at 2007 QRC in Houston.

Abid Haneef Sahib (Boston) - award given at 2007 QRC in Houston.

Sister Aliyyah Sahaheed Sahiba (Pittsburgh) - award given at 2008 Ijtema in New York.

Abdur Rahman Sahib (Baltimore) - award given at 2008 Ijtema in New York.

Yousef Abdul Lateef Sahib (Boston) - award given at 2008 Ijtema in New York.

Bilal Abdus Salaam Sahib (Philadelphia) - award given at 2008 Ijtema in New York.

Alhaj Aminullah Ahmad Sahib (Dayton) - award given at 2008 QRC in Detroit.

Dr. Bashiruddin Usama Sahib (Cleveland) - award given at 2008 QRC in Detroit.

A Milwaukee newspaper article captures the essence of Bro. Rashid:

Lecture about Islamic culture takes turn

By Gabriel Spangler

Muslims recognize Muhammad as the first prophet of Allah, but whether or not he had a legitimate successor has been a source of debate around the globe for hundreds of years. This debate, among others, recently played out at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The short version of the story of Muhammad begins around 610 A.D., when Muhammad was on a spiritual retreat in the mountains outside Mecca and the Angel Gabriel appeared to him.

Over the next 23 years, the Angel Gabriel relayed the word of God to him. Muhammad ultimately collected these verses to form Islam’s holy document, the Quran.

When Muhammad died in 632, the religion of Islam was born. But its birth also hatched many different Islamic sects. The Sunnis, the largest sect, believe Muhammad does not have a successor. The second-largest sect, the Shiites, along with many other sects, believe Muhammad does have a successor.

On Feb. 26, the Muslim Student Association, headed by Tahir Khan, sponsored a lecture in the Union Ballroom featuring three speakers who covered the areas of Arab, Asian and African contributions to Islam in America.

This lecture was not intended to cover current Islamic conflicts, but they were unavoidable.

Caroline Seymour-Jorn, an assistant professor in foreign languages and linguistics at UWM, spoke about Arab Muslims in America. Maudood Ahmad, a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and graduate of UWM, covered Asian Muslims. And Rashid Ahmad, a long-time pillar for the Milwaukee Chapter of the Ahmadiyya movement and regular guest on the TV show “Islam Live,” covered African Muslims.

They each spoke for about 15 to 20 minutes, giving an informative history of how the Muslims of these three ethnic regions became entrenched in American society.

Given the Bush administration’s predicament in Iraq over the past three years, the topic of Islamic strife was bound to come up. It was not long into the question-and-answer section that the word “jihad”— the term for struggle or, more commonly, holy war — came up.

A younger, devout-looking man walked up to the mike holding a copy of the Quran that had gold leaf designs on the cover. He was mumbling, and carried on about sects, jihads, and other inaudible things. No response from the guest speakers satisfied him. He eventually said, “It’s a waste of time to stay here,” then walked out.

Tension oozed into the air, and the discussion started to heat up. The guest speakers could not avoid the Iraq situation any longer.

Many audience members had baffled or stiff expressions on their faces. No one else walked out — the new subject matter was too interesting.

“Because somebody says something, you are gonna kill them?” said Rashid Ahmad. “That authority is given to no man.”

Maudood Ahmad was on the same page as his colleague.

“If you wanna fight for a piece of land, that is not a jihad,” said Maudood Ahmad. “The wars going on have nothing to do with religion.”

Maudood Ahmad would also suggest an alternative to a jihad.

“You can do with the pen what we used to do with the sword,” Maudood Ahmad said. “This is the literary age.”

The U.S. plan to democratize Iraq has led to increased terrorist attacks in that region. Car explosions, gunfire and suicide bomber attacks are daily occurrences in a country submerged in war and death.

The recent bombing of a major Shiite mosque in Samarra led to an eruption of counter attacks that spilled onto the streets of Baghdad. Many fear this new attack on one of Iraq’s oldest and most revered shrines could be a catalyst to future civil war.

“What’s going on is a lot of politics. It has nothing to do with Islam,” Kahn said. “Sunnis had a monopoly for a long time. Now they have to share the government. Everybody wants to be president.”

Back in America, Ahmadiyya Muslims — a large worldwide sect of Islam — strive for peace and unity.

“Love for all, hatred for none. That is what we strive for,” said Maudood Ahmad. “All religions come from the same God.”

Source: islamworld.net