Souvenir on Baitur Rahman Mosque USA Inauguration — Page 6
Message of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalife Masih IV Suprt:me Head of the \Xorld -Wi. le Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on the occas 10n of the mauguratton of Masjid Baitur Rahman The b uildin g of places of wor s hip, su ch as mosques, dedicated entirely to the one and only one God, is i ndeed among the noblest of tasks. But alas, th e places of worship are somet imes built with mixed intentions. They are n ot always enti rely and purely dedicated to the wo rs hip of Allah alon e. Isl am stands out among religions in its total commitment to t he unity of God. Yet it does not permit its adherents to interfere with th e beliefs a nd practices of the idolatrous religions. The principle teaching in thi s regard without comprom ise, is given in the fo ll owing verse of the Holy Qur'an: JJJt j ~r'fJ~ ,,. . ;t' ,, ~ J, ;,J "There is no compulsion in religion. " This contains, indeed, the fundamental principle of freedom of re li gious practices and beliefs. Thi s principle also implies that those \vho believe in the unit y of God cannot be denied t he ri ght to worship m the mo sques. The doors of the Muslim mosques ~----------------------------------~ 6 must, therefore, always remain open to the followers of all re li gions who belie\'e in th e unity of God. As far as physical access is concerned, even the idolaters are not deni ed. That which is forbi dden is only to pay homage to anyone else besides God. The Muslim places of worship must entirely remain dedicated to God alone in all sincerit y. There is no doubt that this grand, spacious and beautiful building is extremely impressive and is a treat fo r the eyes to behold. Yet, it must be remembered that , according to Islam, the status of a place of worship in the sight of Allah is not r elated to phys i ca l grande ur or outstanding architectural design. The greatne ss of a mosque depends entirely on the fear of God and th e si n ce rity with w hi ch th e worshippers bow and prostrate therein. H owever, it is permissible to build large, spacious, simple but beautiful mosques, such as this one for whose inaugurati on we have a l 1 gathered here today. This is an issue tha t relates to the deep-rooted intentions that precede every human project.