The Re-emergence of Islamic Enlightenment — Page 23
ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES ON EDUCATION & SERVING HUMANITY 23 to science and which enhanced our understanding of nature and the universe. Furthermore, the Third Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community desired for a new dawn of great Muslim scientists and academics to emerge and so, within our Community, he started a tradition of awarding gold medals for academic excellence and this tradition continues to this day. Each year, hundreds of Ahmadi Muslim boys and girls or men and women are awarded gold medals due to their high academic achievements. Certainly, we believe that access to education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty that has plagued economically weak countries for generations. We learn this from the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who urged Muslims to fund the education of vulnerable members of society, such as orphans. He taught that spiritual advancement was intrinsically linked to serving humanity and so a Muslim could not attain the love of God Almighty just through worship and prayer, rather the love of God Almighty required Muslims to serve humanity. Thus, in chapter 90, verses 15 to 17 of the Holy Quran, Muslims are instructed to work to eradicate hunger and poverty, to fulfil the needs of orphans and to educate vulnerable and poor children, so that opportunities open up for them to develop. In all parts of the world, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community acts upon these noble teachings to the best of its abilities. We believe that Islam is a religion of love and compassion and so