The Promised Messiah(as) wrote the book Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. The book outlines the beautiful teachings of Islam which can establish peace and brotherhood in the world. It is also a recognition and befitting token of gratitude to the British government which provided peace and freedom of expression to all its subjects. This environment enabled the Promised Messiah(as) to propagate the message for which Allah the Almighty commissioned him. Alhamdolillah, the Jama‘at (Community) of the Promised Messiah(as) continues to benefit from the same peace and freedom in the UK and is engaged in serving Islam throughout the world from its headquarters in London.
If all people adhere to Quranic teachings of freedom of religion and conscience then we may establish peace and harmony in the world. May Allah guide us and help us to do so. Amin.
We are honoured to publish the English translation of the book on the auspicious occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. All members of the Jama‘at are requested to read it and distribute it widely.
Please note that, in the translation that follows, words given in parenthesis ( ) are the words of the Promised Messiah(as). If any explanatory words or phrases are added by the translator for the purpose of clarification, they are put in square brackets [ ]. Footnotes given by the Publishers are marked [Publishers]. All references, unless otherwise specified, are from the Holy Quran. Biblical references are from the King James version.
The following abbreviations have been used. Readers are urged to recite the full salutations when reading the book:
(sa) - sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, meaning ‘may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him’ is written after the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
(as) - ‘alaihis salam, meaning ‘may peace be on him’ is written after the name of Prophets other than the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
(ra) - radiy-Allahu ‘anhu/‘anha/‘anhum, meaning ‘may Allah be pleased with him/her/them’ is written after the names of the Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) or of the Promised Messiah(as).
(aba) - ayyadahullahu Ta’ala binasrihil ‘Aziz, meaning ‘may Allah the Almighty help him with his powerful support’ is written after the name of the present Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V(aba).
This translation was prepared under the auspices and direction of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V(aba). By the grace of Allah, my humble self had the honour of working closely with Hudur(aba) and seeking guidance and relaying his directives throughout the process of completing this translation.
I would like to express my gratitude to Syed Sajid Ahmad, who translated the book from Urdu into English, and to Mohamed Arshad Ahmedi who made the initial review. I also appreciate the assistance of Chaudhary Hamidullah Vakil-e-A‘la and Dr. Muhammad Shafique, Deputy Vakilut-Tasnif, Rabwah, Pakistan who provided assistance as and when needed. The English translation section of Additional Vakalat-e-Tasnif, under the leadership of Coordinator Munawar Ahmed Saeed, carried out the revision and prepared the document for publication. The primary responsibility for revision was carried out by Abdul-Wahab Mirza with valuable assistance from Luqman Tahir Mahmood, Bilal Ahmad Rana, Fouzan Mansoor Pal and Usman Nasir Choudhary. The cover page, book layout and desktop publishing was done by Salman Muhammad Sajid. May Allah the Almighty reward them all abundantly. Amin.
Munir-ud-Din Shams
Additional Vakilut-Tasnif
London, United Kingdom
April 2012