The Claims of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi as, a sub-ordinate prophet and a prophet from amongst the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa.:
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad - The Promised Messiah and Mahdi (as)
The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. In 1891, he claimed on the basis of Divine revelation, that he was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi whose advent had been foretold by Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and by the scriptures of other faiths. His claim constitutes the basis of the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.
The following is an article written by the Promised Messiah(as) himself and taken from the September 1904 issue of the Review of Religions (Vol.3, No.9).
Gentlemen, I would now say something about my own claims, which I have published in this country. Reason and history bear witness to the fact that when the darkness of sin overshadows the earth, when all sorts of transgressions prevail in the world and evil is supreme, when the spiritual sensibilities are deadened, when the earth is growing impure with immoral practices and the love of God being numbed in the hearts of men, a poisonous wind begins to blow, the mercy of God then ordains that life should again be breathed into dead hearts and the earth should be quickened afresh. As there are changes of seasons in the physical world, so there are revolutions in the spiritual world. In autumn the trees lose their verdure and freshness, and are stripped of their leaves and branches, and look like a man who being in the last stage of consumption loses all his flesh and blood, or like a leper whose face is disfigured by the effects of leprosy and whose limbs have dropped down. But they are not left in this state. Another period comes, and autumn is followed by spring when a new life is given to the dead plants and they sprout forth into fresh leaves. Similar to these changes in the physical world, there are changes and revolutions in the spiritual world and periods of light and darkness follow each other successively like day and night. At certain stages of the history of the world, men are stripped of spiritual excellences and the perfection of manhood like trees in the autumn, while at others a wind blows from heaven which breathes life afresh into their hearts.
Thus our time is also the beginning of a spring. The deadness of autumn was witnessed in the Punjab during the days when this country was under the Sikh sway. Knowledge had then quite disappeared and ignorance had become prevalent. Religious books had become so rare that they could not be found except in some high family which remained intact from Sikh oppression. The night of the Sikh rule has been followed by the day of British dominion which has brought us the invaluable blessing of peace. The truth is that if regard is had to the general peace and security prevailing in the country and to the comforts which we can and do enjoy, it is unjust to compare the days of Sikh rule with even the nights of British Government. The time in which we live is a time of physical as well as spiritual blessings, and what has already appeared is a sign of the richness of the harvest that we may yet reap.
It is true, however, that being the commencement of a new age, this period presents varying faces. Some faces are hideous because they go against righteousness and the true knowledge of God, while others present attractive features and there is a lustre of righteousness in them. There is no doubt, however, that the British Government has taken great pains to spread learning in the country and to advance the cause of science and knowledge. Printing presses have multiplied copies of books to an extent unknown in any previous age and placed them within the reach of all. This vast spread of knowledge has brought to light many hidden libraries and cast the light of publication upon many rare manuscripts, and thus it has changed the whole appearance of society within a few years.
Side-by-side with the growth of learning and spread of knowledge spoken of here, there has been a continual falling off from the standard of purity in practice, and the plant of atheism has struck a deep root in most hearts. There is no doubt about the benefits and blessings which the British rule has brought to us, nor can anyone question the unparalleled peace and liberty which it has established in this country, but most people have not made a right use of this liberty and peace. Instead of being thankful to God for His great obligation in placing us under the benign rule of such a peaceful and kind Government, most people have become utterly neglectful of and stolidly indifferent to God and have wholly given themselves up to the pursuits and cares of this world, so wholly indeed as if this world were their permanent abode and they were not under the control of any Higher power or under any obligation to Him. As happens generally, with peace transgression has become more flagrant, and on account of daily increasing hard-heartedness and indifference, the country is now in a very dangerous condition. Ignorant people commit the most brutal and heinous deeds like savages, and every grade of society is more or less involved in some sort of evil. Public houses are much more frequented than other shops, and professions involving open immorality are daily increasing, while places of worship are only used for the performance of ceremonials devoid of life and inner worth. In short a violent outburst of evil and iniquity has taken place, and as a flood destroys all embankments and sweeps away whole villages before it in a single night, so the flood of passions is sweeping away all barriers to sin before it. Cimmerian darkness has spread over the world, and it has reached the point at which it must either be regenerated and receive a light from heaven or be utterly destroyed and brought to naught. But the prophetical utterings give us to understand that the end is yet a thousand years off. Moreover, the new physical order of this world which has been brought about by the numerous discoveries and inventions of the last and the present century, is clearly indicative of a similar change for the better in the spiritual system of the world. There is pressing necessity for such spiritual reform, for spiritually the world stands on the brink of destruction and is so depraved that the wrath of heaven must be kindled against it. The force of passions is growing too strong while the spiritual tendencies have been utterly weakened and the light of faith has been extinguished. A light must, therefore, be kindled from heaven to shatter the clouds of darkness which over-hang this world, for, as we see daily, the gloom, of night is not dispelled until the heavenly light makes its appearance. As there is a heavenly light which lightens the corners of the earth, so there is also a heavenly light which illuminates the corners of the heart, and the truth of both these laws is manifest.
Since God created man, it has been His unchangeable law that He sheds His light upon mankind through one of their own number, so that there may be a unity and oneness among them. The person who is thus chosen, receives the light of perfect Divine knowledge from God, drinks deep at the fountain of His perfect love, is spoken to by Him, made to walk in the path of His perfect pleasure and granted a deep-seated zeal to draw others to the light, the knowledge and the love which have been granted him. Thus drawn by him and sharing in his knowledge because of their close connection with him, other people are also kept back from sins and guided to the path of piety and righteousness.
In accordance with this time-honoured law, Almighty God prophesied by the mouth of His prophets that after nearly six thousand years from the time of Adam(as) when great darkness would prevail upon earth and an irresistible flood of passions would make the love of God wane and iniquity predominate, God would breathe into a man the soul of truth and love and knowledge spiritually after the likeness of Adam(as), and he would be called the Messiah, because God would Himself anoint his soul with the ointment of His love. This Messiah who on account of the promise of God concerning his appearance is called the Promised Messiah in sacred books, would, it is foretold, be made to stand against Satan, and between him and the evil one there would be a mighty struggle, the final struggle between good and evil. For this spiritual fight Satan would bring all his hosts into the field and gather together all his power and make use of all his resources. Never shall a fight like this have occurred between good and evil before, for on that day the tricks of Satan, and the means by which he can mislead people, would all be exhausted. After a heavy fight, the Messiah of God would drive back the powers of darkness, and the glory, majesty, unity and holiness of God would be proclaimed upon earth and would continue to be declared for a thousand years, the seventh day of the Holy Books of God. Then will be the end. I am that Messiah: let him who will, accept me.
Doubts would, perhaps, be entertained here by some as to the existence of Satan and they would wonder at the mention of Satan and his hosts. Let them bear in mind that every man’s heart has two attractions with it, the attraction of good and the attraction of evil. The first of these is attributed in Islamic law to the angel or the spirit of goodness, and the second to Satan or the spirit of evil. Man is inclined sometimes to evil and sometimes to goodness, and this is what is meant by the struggle between good and evil. I think there are many men in this gathering who will, simply on hearing my claim to Promised Messiahship and Divine revelation, call me a liar and look down upon my claim, but I do not condemn them, for so it has been from the beginning. Every messenger of God had to hear words of abuse and contempt from his people in the early stages of his mission, and it may be said truly that a prophet is not without honour but in the beginning of his career as a prophet.
That Holy Prophet(saw) and Messenger of God to whom the Holy Qur’an was revealed, and who gave us a law which is the culmination of all laws, of being called whose followers we are all proud, was also received in the same manner by his people. For thirteen years he suffered persecution and tortures at the hands of his enemies alone and helpless, and received their scoffing, insults, affronts and outrages with the greatest patience and forbearance – all these cruelties of his enemies reaching their climax in that unkindest cut of all, his expulsion from Makkah. Who knew at that time that that helpless and forlorn man was destined to become the guide and leader of millions of human beings? Such is the Divine law that the ones sent by God are laughed at and despised at first. There are very few who recognise them in the beginning and hence they must suffer at the hands of the ignorant and bear all sorts of scurrilities, abuses and taunts until the time comes when God should open the hearts of men for their acceptance.
Such is my claim. But the work for which Almighty God has appointed me, my function as the Promised Messiah, is that I should remove the estrangement which has taken place between God and man, and re-establish man’s connection of purity and love with his Divine master. I have been raised that I should put a stop to religious wars and lay the basis of peace, concord and fellow-feeling between men, that I should bring to light the religious truths which have long been hidden from the mortal eye, that I may show true spirituality by dispelling the darkness of passions from before its face, that I may manifest the working of Divine powers within man by prayer or by concentration of attention, and most important of all that I should re-establish the pure and glorious unity of God which is free from every mixture of shirk, and which has disappeared from the face of earth. All this will be effected not by my power, but by the mighty power of Him who rules in heaven and earth. I see that on the one hand Almighty God having trained me in His deep knowledge and having made me the recipient of His revelation, has granted me a zeal for bringing about these reforms, and on the other He has Himself prepared hearts which are ready to accept my words.
I see that a mighty revolution has taken place in the world since I was appointed by Almighty God to this heavenly office. While in Europe and America the doctrine of the Divinity of Jesus is being rejected by all sensible thinkers, in India idol-worship is fast losing ground. Though these people are yet ignorant of true spirituality and are content with a few words in which is contained a formal expression of their beliefs, yet they have broken asunder many ties which held them to unbelief, and they are now as it were standing on the threshold of unity. I hope that in the near future the grace of God would take many of them by the hand and place them within the stronghold of unity where there is all peace and safety, and where a man is granted perfect love and perfect fear and perfect knowledge. This is not a mere wish but Almighty God has given me the glad tidings which make me entertain this hope. The manifestation of this heavenly ordinance has been brought about in this country so that different people may soon be seen gathering into one flock, and that the night of discord and enmity may soon be changed into the bright morning of peace and concord.
That the different people will be ultimately made one nation, is the universal hope of all religious sects. The Christians think that the time is coming when all the nations of the earth will accept the doctrine of the Divinity of Jesus(as). The Jews entertain the fond hope that their Messiah will soon appear and make them the inheritors of the whole earth and bring the gentiles into the Jewish faith. The Islamic prophecies also give the hope of the advent of a Messiah who would make Islam the predominant and universal religion of the world, and the promised time of advent goes no further than the commencement of the 14th century of Hegira. And at this very moment the Pundits of the Sanatan Dharm are anxiously waiting for the advent of an avatar who would spread the true faith in the whole world. The Aryas, though they do not believe in any prophecy, share in these universal views and are trying their best to spread the Arya religion in the East as well as in the West. Nor has the Buddhist religion remained behind in this movement, for it is also showing signs of activity and reform. But what is most wonderful of all, and may perhaps excite laughter, is that in this competition of religions for superiority, even the sweeper community is not quite indifferent, but it also is awake to the serious necessity of protecting itself from hostile religions. In short, the competition of religions has grown hot and every sect is inspired with the zeal to make acquisitions from other faiths. There is a commotion in the religious world more violent than the commotion which is caused in the sea by a storm, and as the billows roll down upon one another, so do at present the different religions.
The various movements described above lead one at least to this conclusion that the time has come at which Almighty God has willed to gather all men into one fold. Regarding this very time, He says in the Holy Qur’an:
And on that day We shall leave some of them to surge against others, and the trumpet will be blown. Then shall We gather them all together. (Ch.18: V.100)
Reading this verse along with the preceding verses its proper significance appears to be that when there will be a hot competition for victory among the various religions, and they will be in a tumult like the waves of the ocean, then will Almighty God bring into existence a new dispensation which will draw all capable hearts to itself. Then will they know what religion is, and a new life, the soul of true righteousness, will be breathed into them and they will be made to drink at the fountain of true knowledge of God. It was necessary that this world should not have come to an end until this prophecy which was announced by the Holy Qur’an 1300 years ago was fulfilled.
The Holy Qur’an has mentioned many other signs of the last ages when all people would be gathered upon one religion; for instance, that the rivers would be generally split into canals, that the earth would bring out its hidden treasures of minerals, inventions and sciences, that such means would come into existence (referring to printing presses) as would cause books to be multiplied in large numbers, that a conveyance would be discovered which would render the camels useless and facilitate men’s going to and fro, that the means of correspondence and of the mixing together of different people would become easy, and that the sun and the moon would eclipse on specified dates in the month of Ramadhan. All these signs of the mercy of God would be followed by another which is indicative of the wrath of heaven, i.e. the raging of a destructive plague which would affect every town and village, utterly laying waste some and leaving others in a partially desolate condition. God would then be in great wrath because the signs which He manifested at the hands of His Messenger were belied, and the Apostle whom He had sent was rejected and called an impostor.
All the signs enumerated above, which the Holy Qur’an has described as the signs of the appearance of the Promised one, have been fulfilled in this age. Thus there is a clear path for anyone who exercises his judgment and understanding for my acceptance, because all the signs appointed for the appearance of the Promised Messiah have been manifested by God for me. Besides the signs mentioned above, the Holy Qur’an fixes the time of the appearance of the Promised Messiah in another manner too. In it we are told that one day with God is equivalent to a thousand years as is indicated in the verse:
And they ask thee to hasten on punishment, but Allah will never break His promise. And verily, a day with thy Lord is a thousand years of your reckoning. (Ch.22: V.48)
Therefore, the seven days mentioned in the Holy Qur’an indicate seven thousand years which represent the present age from Adam to the end spoken of in the holy books of God. I do not mean to say that seven thousand years is the whole time from the beginning to the end of the world, for from the Holy Qur’an it appears that the world existed before the Adam spoken of in the Holy Book. Of course we cannot say who the people were that lived upon earth then because we have no details in our hand. But it appears that one cycle of this world lasts for seven thousand years and hence also the seven days, each day standing for a thousand years. We cannot say through how many such cycles the world has passed up to this time, and how many Adams have passed away before our own Adam(as). As God has ever been the Creator, therefore we believe that His creation must have existed always in one form or another though it is difficult for us to specify the particular form. Here too the Christian faith has made an error, for the Christians believe that the world was created and heaven and earth made only six thousand years ago, and that before that time the creating power of God had forever remained unemployed. I do not think any sensible person can subscribe to such a belief which is absurd on the face of it. The Holy Qur’an on the other hand teaches us doctrines whose truth can never be questioned. It teaches us that God has always been a Creator and will forever be a Creator, and if He wills He can destroy heaven and earth and make them anew millions of times. He has told us that from the Adam who is our ancestor to the end of this cycle, there is a period of seven thousand years, which are as seven days with God. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him, appeared in the fifth thousand after Adam or in the fifth day of this cycle. This is indicated in the chapter entitled the ‘Asr (Afternoon) the letters of which, according to the mode of reckoning numbers from letters, represent the number of years which had elapsed from Adam(as) to the time of the revelation of that chapter to the Holy Prophet(saw). According to this calculation six thousand years have now elapsed from Adam(as), and a period of one thousand years more would complete this cycle.
The Holy Qur’an as well as the previous books give us to understand that the Messenger of God who would appear in the last ages in the likeness of Adam(as), and would be called the Messiah, would be born in the last days of the sixth thousand from Adam(as), as Adam(as) was born at the end of the sixth day. These signs are sufficient to lead a thinking mind to the true conclusion. The seven thousand years of this cycle are further divided according to the prevalence of good or evil, every odd thousand being the time of the prevalence of virtue and true guidance, and the even thousand of the supremacy of Satan. Thus in the fifth thousand our Holy Prophet(saw) was born for the regeneration of the world and Satan was then put into chains. Then followed the sixth thousand, from the beginning of the fourth to the fourteenth century after Islam, in which Satan was let loose and evil predominated. And now we are in the seventh thousand which is the time of God and His Messiah and of every goodness and virtue, of the true faith and regeneration of mankind, of righteousness and the proclamation of the Unity of God and Divine worship. With the entrance of the world upon the seventh thousand, the Millennium, no other Messiah can set his foot upon earth, for his time is now gone. The true Messiah is he who has appeared in time and made known his appearance to the world. All these prophecies are contained in the Holy Qur’an, and they were also uttered by the earlier prophets. In fact, no prophecy has been uttered with such frequency and force as the prophecy relating to the appearance of the Messiah in the last ages and to the evil of the Anti-Christ.
Some men think that the prophecy relating to the appearance of the Promised Messiah is contained only in the traditions [hadith] and not in the Holy Qur’an, and accordingly they demand a proof of it from the Word of God. A reflection upon the words of the Holy Book is sufficient to convince any reasonable man that this prophecy is contained in the plainest words in the Holy Qur’an. In the chapter entitled the Tahrim, it is indicated that some individuals from among the Muslims would be called Ibn-i-Maryam (the Son of Mary), for in this chapter at first the faithful are compared to Mary and afterwards the breathing of a soul into her (i.e., the faithful like her) is mentioned. This indicates that the faithful who observe complete obedience to Divine commandments and make themselves like Mary, will be rewarded by God by being made Christ-like. It is in reference to the attainment of this stage that Almighty God says of me in a revelation published in the Barahin-i-Ahmadiyya: “O Mary! Enter thou and thy friends into paradise;’’ and again: “0 Mary! I have breathed into thee the soul of truth,” (thus symbolically Mary was impregnated with truth); and last of all: “0 Jesus! I will cause thee to die a natural death and would then raise thee to Myself,” where I am addressed as Jesus Christ as if raised from the dignity of Mary to the dignity of Christ. Thus the promise contained in the Tahrim has been fulfilled in me, and I am named by God as the son of Mary.
Again, in the chapter entitled the Nur (Light), Almighty God says that successors to the Holy Prophet would be raised from among the Muslims like to the successors that were raised to Moses as in the verse:
Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear: They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious. (Ch.24: V.56)
From the Holy Qur’an it also appears that the religion of Islam would witness two terrible disasters which would endanger its very life. One of these came upon Islam with the death of the Holy Prophet(saw) and was averted at the hands of Abu Bakr(ra), the first caliph according to Divine promise. The second disaster according to the Holy Qur’an would be the evil that would be wrought by the Anti-Christ, to repel which the Promised Messiah would appear. It is to this great evil that the concluding words of the Fatihah, which every Muslim must repeat in his prayers, contain an allusion, and to this time of tribulation that the prophecy contained in the same verse (Ch.24: V.56) refers which occur in the Nur immediately after the words in which successors to the Holy Prophet(saw) are promised. In these words Almighty God tells us that in the last ages when the faith of Islam would be severely shaken, so much so that there would be fear of its extinction and of its being swept off wholly, He would re-establish it with firmness upon the earth, and grant the Muslims a security after that great fear. To the same effect the Holy Qur’an says elsewhere:
God is He who sent His messenger with the guidance and the true faith so that He may ultimately [i.e. in the time of the Promised Messiah] make it victorious over all other religions. (Ch.9: V.33)
Again, the verse: Verily we sent down the Holy Qur’an, and verily We will be its guardians,” (Ch.15: V.10) also refers to the time of the Promised Messiah for as it speaks of the sending down of Revelation which was effected through the Holy Prophet(saw), it also speaks of guarding the revealed word from its enemies when it would be in danger of being brought to extinction, which is the function of the Promised Messiah. Here I have briefly pointed out the verses in which the advent of the Promised Messiah is indicated, either in plain words or by way of allusion, as a detailed proof would not have suited the limits of a lecture. This is a sufficient proof for any one who seeks an evidence of my claim in the Holy Qur’an in the same manner in which he seeks an evidence of the claim of the Holy Prophet(saw) or Jesus Christ(as) in the previous books. So if these prophecies are not regarded as sufficient, it must also be admitted that there is no prophecy in the Torah concerning the appearance of Jesus(as) or our Holy Prophet(saw), for if the words of the former prophecies are not very definite, neither are they so in the case of the latter prophecies. It is exactly here that the Jews stumbled in the recognition of the two prophets, Jesus(as) and Muhammad(saw), may peace and the blessings of God be upon them. For instance, if it had been stated in plain and clear words in the prophecies fore-telling the appearance of our Holy Prophet(saw) that he would be born at Makkah, that his name would be Muhammad, that his father and grand-father would be known respectively as Abdullah and Abdul Muttalib, that he would be of the Ishmaelite race, that being persecuted at Makkah he would flee to Madinah, and that he would be born so many years after Moses(as), not a single Jew could have denied him. The difficulties in the case of the prophecies relating to the appearance of Jesus Christ(as), are still greater, and it is on this ground that the Jews to this day consider themselves excusable in rejecting Jesus(as). In these prophecies it is clearly stated that Elijah(as) would re-appear before the advent of the true Messiah and prophecies containing this condition are contained in the revealed books. But since Elijah(as) did not re-appear, therefore the claim of Jesus(as) to Messiahship could not be regarded as true by the Jews. When confronted with this difficulty, Jesus(as) replied that by the appearance of Elijah was meant the appearance of one like him, and not his own appearance. But this explanation was rejected by the Jews as directly opposed to the Word of God which spoke not of the advent of the like of Elijah, but of the advent of Elijah(as) himself. These considerations show clearly that the prophecies relating to the appearance of the prophets of God are always deep so that they may serve to distinguish the righteous from the wicked.
This is not, however, all that I can say in support of my claim. A claim based on truth is not attended with only one sort of proof, but like the genuine diamond it shines in full effulgence in all its facets. Such is my claim to Promised Messiahship. Its truth shines forth from whatever point of view it is considered. My claim to being sent by God and of being the recipient of Divine revelation, dates from a period of over 27 years, and it was published in my book entitled Barahin-i-Ahmadiyyah about twenty-four years ago. Such a long and continuous series of lies is inconceivable. However great a liar a person may be, he cannot be guilty of concocting a falsehood extending over such a lengthy period of time and affecting the whole world. Moreover, Almighty God does not assist an impostor. Consider a person who with every new sun concocts a new falsehood and fabricates a new lie, forges words and prophecies and pretends that it is an inspiration which he has received from God, or the Word of God that has come down to him as a revelation from the Almighty, while God knows that he is a great liar and impostor in what he says every day, consider if God would grant assistance to such an accursed being, if He would make him arid his followers flourish and increase for long years and frustrate the designs and plans of his enemies to bring him to naught. Yet for 27 years, I have been receiving the assistance of God without any intermission and the number of my followers has constantly increased notwithstanding the hardest opposition. Do not these facts point me out as the true one?
There is another argument which settles conclusively the truth of my claim. Twenty-four years previous to this at a time when I was quite unknown to the world and lived in the corner of solitude, Almighty God revealed to me certain prophecies concerning my future life which were at that very time and under those very circumstances published in Barahin-i-Ahmadiyyah which I was then writing. Addressing me Almighty God thus spoke to me: “Oh my Ahmad, thou art according to my wish and thou art with me. Thy secret is My secret. Thou art to Me as My Unity and Oneness, so the time has come when thou shouldst be assisted and made known among men. Thou hast in my presence a dignity which the world knows not. God will assist thee in all fields. Thou hast dignity in My presence and I have chosen thee for Myself and I will make many people follow and obey thee and will make thee a guide to them. We will inspire people from heaven that they may assist thee. Assistance will come to thee from deep and distant paths. People will flock to thee from distant corners of the world. It is, therefore, meet that thou shouldst not turn away from them or get tired of them, because of their vast numbers, but receive them with kindness and courtesy. And pray to God, ‘O Lord, do not leave me alone and Thou art the best of inheritors.’ God will procure for thee the companions of the mat, and what knowest thou who the companions of the mat are. Thou wilt see tears flowing from their eyes, and they will say, ‘O Lord, we have heard the voice of one who invites people to faith in God. Verily, I will make thee My vicegerent upon earth, and people will say of thee contemptuously,’ ‘Where-from and how hast thou got this dignity and high rank?’ Say to them, ‘My God is a wonderful God and wonderful are His powers.’ He is not questioned of what He doeth, but He will question every one as to what He said. They say, ‘This is but a fabrication.’ Say, ‘It is God who has established this dispensation,’ then leave them in their vain sports. God is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth that he may make it victorious over all other religions. They will try to extinguish the light which God has kindled, but God will make that light perfect and kindle it in hearts that are ready to receive it, though the unbelievers may not like it. God will protect thee against their mischiefs, though people may not be able to save thee. Thou art before my eyes; I have named thee Mutawakkil (Truster in God), And God will not leave thee until He has severed the virtuous from the wicked. Two sheep will be slaughtered, and every one who is upon earth, must taste of death. There may be a thing to which you may be averse, but haply it may be good for you; and there may be a thing which you deem good but haply its attainment may be injurious to you. God knows what is good for you and what injurious, but you do not know.’’
It will be seen that the revelations given above contain four grand prophecies. Firstly, at a time when I was alone and companionless, about 24 years since, God gave me the glad tidings that I would not be left alone but would have numerous followers and that people would come to me from distant places and remote corners in such numbers that they should tire me. Secondly, that I would receive great assistance from these people. What I was when these prophecies were published, and what I am now when about a quarter of a century has elapsed since their publication, is known to the whole world. I lived alone in the corner of solitude then in a small village, but now I have more than 200,000 followers. The third prophecy mentioned in the same connection is that people would do their utmost to bring this dispensation to naught and to extinguish this light, but all their efforts would be fruitless and all their designs would be frustrated. These three prophecies are shining like the meridian sun. No sensible person would hold that these wonderful disclosures of the deep secrets of the future, upon which no guess or surmise could shed the faintest light, could be announced beforehand except by a revelation from Almighty God, the Knower of all secrets. There was no circumstance which could make the most intelligent person guess that the helpless and solitary man who had never stepped out from the corner of solitude, would one day become the leader and guide of hundreds of thousands of men. If it is within the power of man to reveal such secrets, let another such instance be cited. The grandeur of these prophecies is made more manifest and the heart of man bows with true submission before the mighty knowledge of God when the third prophecy foretelling the attempts of the people to thwart the fulfilment of these prophecies, and God’s promise to bring about their fulfilment in spite of every opposition, is borne in mind. Can a mere mortal thus challenge the world? No, he cannot even say that he would live for such a time. The fourth prophecy which particularly deserves the reader’s attention is that relating to the slaughter of two sheep which was fulfilled by the martyrdom of two of my disciples in Afghanistan, viz., Sheikh ‘Abdul Rahman and Sahibzada Maulvi ‘Abdul Latif at the hands of Amir ‘Abdul Rahman and Amir Habib-ullah [rules of Afghanistan] respectively.
Besides these, there are hundreds of other prophecies which were fulfilled in their time. On one occasion, I informed Maulvi Hakim Nuruddin that a son would be born to him who would have sores upon his body, and the prophecy was published in a book. Some time afterwards the promised son was born and he had the sores on his body as described in the prophecy. The Maulvi Sahib is present in this gathering, and every one can question him as to the truth of this statement. On another occasion, ‘Abdul Rahim Khan, one of the sons of Sardar Muhammad ‘Ali Khan, Rais [a clan leader] of Malerkotla, was attacked with a serious disease and all hope of his life was lost. When I prayed for him to God it was revealed to me that the boy would recover on my intercession; so like a kind and affectionate sympathiser, I prayed for him and the disease was gone. ‘Abdullah Khan, the second son of the same gentleman, also fell ill and the attack was so serious that death seemed to be certain. I prayed for him and was informed of his recovery by God and he accordingly recovered. There are numerous other signs and if I were to relate them all, this lecture would not be finished even in ten days. Hundreds of thousands of men bear testimony to the truth of these signs because they were shown before their eyes. One hundred and fifty of these I have collected in a book called the Nuzool-ul-Masih which will be published shortly. These signs are of various sorts. Some of them were manifested upon heaven, others upon earth; some related to my friends, while others were in connection with my enemies; some affected myself and my children and others have been manifested by God through my enemies without any intervention on my part. To the last class belongs a sign which was manifested through Maulvi Ghulam Dastgir of Qasur, who published in his book Fateh Rahman, of his own accord a prayer against me to the effect that of us two God might destroy the liar first. A few days had passed when the Maulvi died and thus bore a testimony to my truth. Besides this, there are thousands of men who were informed of my truth through visions and who have thus accepted me.
There are other considerations of importance in determining the truth of a claim to prophethood. Whether the claimant has appeared in time of need, i.e., at a time when the need of a guide was felt by the world, whether he has come exactly at the prophesied hour, whether he receives assistance from God, whether he has fully refuted the objections brought forward by his opponents against his claim, are points which go a long way to prove the truth or falsehood of his claim. If all these questions were satisfactorily answered, they would be an evidence of his truth. Now it is clear that at the present moment, the need of a guide and reformer is very strongly felt by the whole world. Islam needs the soothing hand of a reformer who should bring about union and agreement among the contending sects and the strong hand of one who should defend it against hostile attacks, while the world generally needs a spiritual guide who should restore to it the spirituality which it has lost, and re-establish the certainty which has vanished away from its face, and thus strengthening faith release people from the bondage of sin and turn them to paths of virtue and righteousness. These are facts which no one can deny unless he is blinded by prejudice, and therefore I clearly fulfil the first of the conditions enumerated above, viz., the condition of coming in time of need. In the second place, it requires to be seen whether I have come at the prophesied hour. In point of time the clearest prophecy is that relating to the appearance of the Promised Messiah at the end of the sixth and the commencement of the seventh thousand from Adam. Computing by the lunar year, the seventh thousand has begun and by the solar year the sixth is coming to a close. Besides this the Holy Prophet(saw) had said, as reported in an authentic tradition, that among the Muslims a reformer would appear at the commencement of every century to give fresh life to the holy religion of Islam. But more than a fifth of the fourteenth century has passed away, and no other reformer can be pointed out who has claimed an authority under the tradition referred to above. Thirdly, it is to be seen whether God has assisted the claimant or not. This condition is eminently fulfilled in me, for opponents stood up against me from among every community and left no stone unturned to bring me to naught and made all sorts of plots against me, but all their designs and plans were hopelessly shattered by Almighty God. There is no community which can say that it did not exert itself to destroy me. But against their wishes Almighty God gave me honour and made thousands of men my followers. What is it if not heavenly assistance, for upon earth no efforts were spared to blot me out. The stronger the opposition grew, the more I was made to flourish, until my following now exceeds two hundred thousand. Had not a hidden Hand been in my support, and had my mission been based on human machinations, I would have been long before shot by one of the arrows of which I was made an aim, and being utterly destroyed no trace of mine would have been left today. For there is no doubt that an impostor does not prosper, but meets with destruction in one way or another, because God Himself is his enemy. But Almighty God guarded me from every evil that was designed against me in accordance with His promise which He had made twenty-four years before. What a wonderful assistance from the Almighty that He first informed me in my loneliness and solitude that He would assist me and bring thousands of men to me and disappoint my enemies in their evil designs against me, and then brought all this to fulfilment as He had foretold. How manifest is His assistance and how clear this sign! Can it be within the power of man or devil that he should when quite helpless foretell his mighty success in the future, and this should be fulfilled notwithstanding the efforts of numerous enemies who rise against him for his destruction? The fourth condition, viz., that the objections of the opponents should be fully refuted, has also been fulfilled by me. The greatest objection that has been put forward against my claim is that Jesus(as) is alive and that he himself must come back into the world in fulfilment of the prophecy relating, to the advent of the Promised Messiah in the last ages. It has been shown by me in refutation of this objection that Jesus(as) is dead and he cannot come back. For the Muslims, the authority of the Holy Qur’an is conclusive which says:
I said nothing to them except that which Thou didst command me – “Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” And I was a witness over them as long as I remained among them, but since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou hast been the Watcher over them; and Thou art Witness over all things. (Ch.5: V.118)
The occasion of this verse in the Holy Qur’an is that on the day of judgment, God would question Jesus(as) if he had said to his people that they should take him and his mother for gods and worship them. In answer to this, Jesus would say that he had said to them only what God had commanded him to say, viz., that they should worship God alone and consider him as His apostle only, and that he knew what they did so long as he was among them, “but since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou didst witness their doings and I was quite ignorant of what happened after me.” The reply of Jesus(as) here is that his followers did not set up the false belief of His divinity until after his death. If, therefore, it is held by a Muslim that Jesus(as) is still alive, he shall also have to admit that the Christian doctrine is true. Moreover, here Jesus(as) displays an ignorance of the condition of his followers after his death, a fact which is inconsistent with the theory of his readvent, because in the latter case he should not remain ignorant of the doctrines invented by the Christians after his death. The belief that Jesus(as) would come back into the world, and joining with the Mahdi, slay the infidels, falsifies the Qur’anic verse quoted above, and must, therefore, be rejected. Nor can it be held that Jesus(as) would conceal before God the fact that he had gone into the world, lived there for forty years and slain the Christians, for that is far from the dignity of a prophet, and besides nothing would remain concealed on the day of judgment. If any one has true faith in the Holy Qur’an, he can see that the whole plot of Mahdi’s murderous deeds and Jesus’ descent from heaven to assist him in that bloody task, is brought to naught by a single verse.
When the opponents are vanquished in every point, as a last resource they bring forward the slender objection, that one or two out of thousands of my prophecies have not been fulfilled, while as a matter of fact this is untrue. Besides this, it will be seen that the prophecies so objected to related to the punishment of certain individuals and the Divine law is, as appears from the Holy Books of God, that a prophecy relating to punishment is always conditional, whether the condition be or be not expressed in it, and the punishment can he averted upon repentance or deeds of charity or upon manifesting a fear of God. The prophecy of the prophet Jonah(as) is an example of this. There was no express condition in that prophecy, yet the punishment was averted on the people’s repentance. If, therefore, the law established above were not true, the prophethood of Jonah(as) would be seriously in question. It cannot be questioned that God’s intention to punish a people is suspended or averted on their repentance; and what is prophecy but a manifestation of that intention through a prophet? If such intention can be suspended or averted when it is not disclosed to any person, there can be no objection to its being suspended or averted when it has been revealed through a prophet.
Now the essence of the prophecy relating to the death of Abdullah Atham which is objected to in my case, was that of the two, Atham and myself, the party in error would be brought to destruction before the eyes of the other. The truth of this prophecy has been sealed by the death of Atham, and it is quite unreasonable to object to it on the ground that he did not die within the stated time, for the limit of time had with it a condition in express words. Atham showed fearfulness and was granted a respite according to the express condition of the prophecy, but when he concealed the truth, he was soon seized by God and died in accordance with the prophecy. Even if the condition had not been expressly stated, he could have taken the benefit of it according to the Divine law with regard to the prophecies of punishment. Besides this, all the details are not always contained in prophecies, and such details are only manifested after their fulfilment. It also happens that an error occurs sometimes in the interpretation of a prophecy, for after all prophets are mortals. For instance, Jesus(as) had prophesied that his twelve apostles would sit on twelve thrones, whereas one of them became the devil’s in his lifetime. He had also prophesied that the men of his time would be still living when he would come back. This also remained unfulfilled on account of error in the interpretation of the words of revelation. Some other prophecies of Jesus(as) too met a similar fate. As to my prophecies, there are thousands of them that have been fulfilled in all their details and to ignore all of these, while selecting one or two for objection, is nothing but intentionally rejecting the truth. I fully hope and am certain that if anyone were to live in my company for forty days consecutively, he would witness a heavenly sign. Here I finish this lecture and think that what I have said is sufficient for a seeker after truth. And peace be upon him who follows truth and guidance.
Place of Birth: Promised Messiah will appear to the East of Damascus.
The Divine guidance about leadership in the latter days
By
Maulana Daud A. Hanif
The Divine leadership began with the appointment of Hadhrat Adam as as the first Prophet and
Khalifatullah (vicegerent of God) for the guidance of mankind. Through him very basic principles of
communal life were introduced for the first time, and the best way of governing human society was
taught and implemented in that age. Thereafter, a progressive set of guidance has been provided
befitting human evolution in the ever-dynamic world throughout history up to its full maturity.
History of world religions shows that there has been a conscious progression from the teachings of
Hadhrat Adam as, to Hadhrat Noah as, Hadhrat Abraham as, Hadhrat Moses as and to Hadhrat
Muhammadsaw finalizing in the form of the Holy Qur’an.
The Holy Qur’an is a compendium of all that is good; lasting and imperishable in its teachings and
with a good deal more, consisting of that which the earlier Scriptures lack but which mankind sorely
needed for its moral and spiritual development. All the right ideals, principles, ordinances and
commandments which are of permanent utility to man have been incorporated in it. The Holy Qur’an
stands, as it were, a guardian over previous Books and has steered clear of all those defects and
impurities, which were found in them. It claims that it lacks nothing (6:39) and is complete and perfect
in every respect. Here I quote from the relevant verse of the Holy Qur’an. It reads, “This day have I
perfected your religion for you and completed My favors upon you and have chosen for you Islam as
your religion.” (5:4)
Thus according to the divine guidance the Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw is the sole guide for all
mankind. So his leadership was to continue in one form or other till the end of times. About the latter
days scriptures of all religion mention many similar signs and appearance of a guide through whom
mankind would be united. Due to time constraints I would mention only a few of them. First I would
mention the signs of the Second Advent of Jesus Christ in the latter days according to the Bible.
Prophecies of second coming of Jesus Christ in Bible
"And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying; tell us, when
shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And
Jesus answered and said unto them. Take heed that no man deceive you.... And ye shall hear of
wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the
end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be
famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matt. 24:3-7)
The world wars one and two and what is happening through out the world is ample prove that this
sign has been fulfilled
Condition of Faith in the latter day has been described in the following words:
"Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)
Condition of people
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without
natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
By
Maulana Daud A. Hanif
The Divine leadership began with the appointment of Hadhrat Adam as as the first Prophet and
Khalifatullah (vicegerent of God) for the guidance of mankind. Through him very basic principles of
communal life were introduced for the first time, and the best way of governing human society was
taught and implemented in that age. Thereafter, a progressive set of guidance has been provided
befitting human evolution in the ever-dynamic world throughout history up to its full maturity.
History of world religions shows that there has been a conscious progression from the teachings of
Hadhrat Adam as, to Hadhrat Noah as, Hadhrat Abraham as, Hadhrat Moses as and to Hadhrat
Muhammadsaw finalizing in the form of the Holy Qur’an.
The Holy Qur’an is a compendium of all that is good; lasting and imperishable in its teachings and
with a good deal more, consisting of that which the earlier Scriptures lack but which mankind sorely
needed for its moral and spiritual development. All the right ideals, principles, ordinances and
commandments which are of permanent utility to man have been incorporated in it. The Holy Qur’an
stands, as it were, a guardian over previous Books and has steered clear of all those defects and
impurities, which were found in them. It claims that it lacks nothing (6:39) and is complete and perfect
in every respect. Here I quote from the relevant verse of the Holy Qur’an. It reads, “This day have I
perfected your religion for you and completed My favors upon you and have chosen for you Islam as
your religion.” (5:4)
Thus according to the divine guidance the Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw is the sole guide for all
mankind. So his leadership was to continue in one form or other till the end of times. About the latter
days scriptures of all religion mention many similar signs and appearance of a guide through whom
mankind would be united. Due to time constraints I would mention only a few of them. First I would
mention the signs of the Second Advent of Jesus Christ in the latter days according to the Bible.
Prophecies of second coming of Jesus Christ in Bible
"And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying; tell us, when
shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And
Jesus answered and said unto them. Take heed that no man deceive you.... And ye shall hear of
wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the
end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be
famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matt. 24:3-7)
The world wars one and two and what is happening through out the world is ample prove that this
sign has been fulfilled
Condition of Faith in the latter day has been described in the following words:
"Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)
Condition of people
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without
natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
73 Divisions in Islam and One True Jama'at
The Prophecy
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) among many of his prophecies has mentioned, in one hadith, a prophecy which many of us have seen fulfilled in our life time. More than 1400 years ago, our beloved master, Muhammad (peace be upon him) made a prophecy in the following words[1]:
Abdullah bin Amar (RA) relates that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said "Surely things will happen to my people as happened earlier to Israelites, they will resemble each other like one shoe in a pair resembles the other to the extent that if anyone among the Israelites has openly committed adultery to his mother there will be some who will do this in my Ummah as well, verily the Israelites were divided into 72 sections but my people will be divided into 73 sections, all of them will be in the fire except one." The companions asked, 'Who are they O Messenger of Allah,' Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "They are those who will be like me and my companions."
In this hadith there are quite a few things to be noted. Firstly, it mentions the resemblance of Muslim Ummah with the Israelites (i.e. Jews). In another hadith [2] this resemblance is mentioned in the words that as among the Jews a prophet was raised in every century among Muslims a reformer will be raised and as among the Jews at the end of the chain of prophets a Messiah was raised a Messiah will be raised among Muslims. Among Jews there were 12 tribes each divided into six sects making a total of 72 sects at the time when the Messiah (i.e. Jesus, AS) was sent to Israelites (A full list of the Jewish sects at the time of Jesus, peace be upon him, is included in Appendix I). After the appearance of the Messiah among Jewish people the list of sects increased considerably. So while talking about 73 divisions among Muslims and taking into account the resemblances of Muslim Ummah to the Jewish people mentioned in both of the above tradition, it appears that these two ahadith relate to the time of the Promised Messiah (AS).
Authenticity of the Hadith
Other than Tirmidhi, Ibne Maja [3] gives three independent narrations of the same hadith. Talking about the authenticity of this hadith Abu Mansur Abd al-Kahir ibn-Tahir Al-Baghdadi [4] says:
"There are many isnad (independent testimonies) for the tradition dealing with the division of the community. A number of following companions have handed it down as coming from the Prophet (peace be upon him): Anas ibn-Malik, Abu-Hurairah, Abu-l-Darda, Jabir, Abu-Sa'id al-Khidri, Ubai ibn-Ka'b, Abd-Allah ibn-Amr ibn-al-'As, abu-Imamah, Wathilah ibn-al-Aska' and others. It is also handed down that the pious Caliphs mentioned that the community would be divided after them, that one sect only would save itself, and the rest of them would be given to error in this world, and to destruction in the next."
So it becomes quite clear that there is no doubt about the authenticity of this hadith and great scholars of Islam like al-Baghdadi regarded this hadith to be an authentic one. While talking about the types of divisions to occur among the Muslim Ummah, Abu-Mansur al-Baghdadi [4] says:
"Every man of intelligence among the authors of the treatise has known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) in speaking of the divisions that were to be condemned and the members of which were destined for hell-fire, did not mean the various legal schools, who, though they disagreed as to the derivative Institutes of Law, agreed concerning the fundamentals of religion.......... And verily the Prophet (peace be upon him), in mentioning the sects condemned, had in mind only those holders of erring opinions who differ from the one sect which will be saved, in such matters as ethics and the unity, promises and threats (regarding future life), predestination and free-will, the determination of good and evil, right guidance and error, the Will and Wish of God, prophetic vision and understanding, the attributes of Allah, His Names and Qualities, any question concerning what is ordered and what is permitted, [signs for] prophecy and its conditions, and similar questions."
Literal Fulfillment of Prophecy: Existence of 73 Sections.
Having mentioned the resemblance of his Ummah with Jews, and division of the Ummah into 73 sections, Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions that all will be in fire except one. Meaning 72 sects will be in fire while one will be safe. When asked who the safe ones will be, Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) replied "They are those who will be like me and my companions" indicating that remaining 72 will resemble Israelites while only one will resemble him and his companions. Having said that we have to understand that there ought to be a way to separate one Jama'at from 72. Thus there should be some method by which two sets of sections among Muslim Ummah will be formed and in one set there will be only one Jama'at (to which Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, referred to as resembling him and his companions) while the other set will contain 72 sects which will resemble Jews. To go any further we have to establish here three things. Firstly that there were at one time 73 sections of Muslims. Secondly they formed two sets on containing one Jama'at and the other one containing 72 sects. Thirdly the set containing one Jama'at consisted of the followers of a claimant of Messiahship. The third condition has to be fulfilled because, as I have established above, we are referring to the time of the Promised Messiah (AS), only the followers of Messiah can form a Jama'at which resembles Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (RA). To establish that the above mentioned three conditions were fulfilled, I shall present here my translation of a portion of an editorial published in Urdu in Pakistani daily newspaper "Nawai Waqt" [5].
"One of the special importance of this decision has been that on it the consensus of Ummah has been in substantially correct manner. Throughout the history of Islam, such an overwhelming complete consensus has never been reached on any important topic. Other than the big religious scholars, holders of Shar'a, all the political leaders and political leaders of each group have agreed on this consensus. Other than these, all sufia karam, aarifeen Billah, the leaders of Tassawaf and practices had complete agreement. Excluding Qadianis all the rest of 72 sects which are considered to be of Muslims, agreed and are happy on the solution of this affair. Among the leaders of the nation and a'maideen, there does not appear to be any group which does not have a joyous attitude towards this decision. Nation should take a notice of this."
And that was not the only newspaper which testified the number to be 72 following is another testimony of an English newspaper published from U.K. [6].
"By a constitutional amendment the National Assembly has stripped half a million members of the Ahmadiyya community of their religious status as Moslems. The excommunication of such a large number claiming to be Moslems by a political institution is a unique event in the 1400 years of the history of Islam. The burden of taking the measure fell on the National Assembly because Islam rejects priesthood and the Moslems, although divided into 72 sects, do not have a church or a pope. Religious edicts handed down by muftis or religious scholars are not binding on any individual or body of Moslems."
Clearly, according to these newspapers there existed 73 sections in Islam, one Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya and the rest of the 72 (A full list of the sects in Islam is included in Appendix II). The rest of the 72 sects were unanimous and happy and formed a party (a set) excluding the one (the other set) from Islam. Although they all had fatwas declaring one another to be kafirs, when it came to the question of Ahmadi Muslims they were all united so that there remains no doubt as to the identity of 72 and one making a total of 73. I have already established that Jews had 72 sects at the time of Messiah, so this hadith would be reflecting the time of Messiah among Muslim Ummah, which all Muslims today believe is also the time of the appearance of the Mahdi.
Opinions of Some Muslim Saints
Now I would like to present a few quotations from the writings and utterance of a few Muslim saints reflecting on the practices and the name of the Jama'at of the followers of Mahdi and Messiah. Hadhrat Ali (RA) said [7]:
"Mahdi Maoud will be colored with the glory of Muhammadiyya and will have the wealth of Ahmadiyya."
Hadhrat Muhammad bin Faris Misri wrote [8]:
"Our scholar will be prophet and from among those who call towards the truth he will have the station of messengership and our A'arif will be in the period of Ahmadi, will be from among oolulazm (those who have strong determination) and will receive greatness."
Hadhrat Mujaddid Alif Thani wrote[9]:
"Around one thousand and some years after the sad demise of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), the Haqeeqate (truth) Muhammadiyya will ascend from its station and will unite with the place of Haqeeqate (Truth) Ka'aba. At that time Haqeeqate Muhammadi (Muhammadi Truth) will be called Haqeeqate Ahmadi (Ahmadi Truth)."
Hadhrat Imam Ali Al-Qari wrote[10]:
"so among seventy three sects all of them will be in fire and the firqah najiyya (sect deserving paradise) will be the one among ahle sunna (Sunnis) which will have the glory of Muhammadiyya and will be following the holy Tareeqatul (practices of) Ahmadiyya."
Hadhrat Abdur Raheem Grohri wrote [11]:
"Hadhrat Mahdi Maoud has the Muhammadi appearance and will descend like a leader, he will have a mole near one of his eyes. He will re-establish din-e Ahmadi (the Ahmadi practices), our sahib will be bright like the sun and beloved of all. He will be learned, wise, king of wisdom and an eternal saint. O mir Muhammad Sahah! Mahdi will be decorated with the turban of prophethood."
All the above Muslim saints and Sufis understood that at the time of Mahdi Tareeqatul Ahmadiyya will be re-established and thus the followers of the true Mahdi will be practicing the Ahmadiyya Glory of Islam or will be called Ahmadiyya Jamaat..
Resemblance of the 72 to Jews in Their Beliefs
According to the Hadith I have mentioned in the beginning, other than being 72 in number, this set will resemble Jews in their behavior as one shoe in a pair resembles the other. I shall not go into details of the behavior of 72 sects however, would just like to mention resemblance of these sects to the Jews of the time of Messiah (Jesus, AS) in their beliefs.
Jews of that time believed that a previous Israelite prophet Elijah (Ilyas, AS) had ascended to heaven in his chariot of fire and before the advent of the Messiah, he will descend from heavens in his chariot and prepare the grounds for the advent of Messiah and then the Messiah will appear. So when Jesus (AS) made a claim to Messiahship, they rejected him saying we did not see Elijah (Ilyas, AS) descending from heavens. When Jesus (AS), claimed that John the Baptist (Yahya, AS) is the Promised Elijah (Ilyas, AS), Jews insisted that he should have descended from heavens if he was Elijah (Ilyas, AS) and so they rejected both Jesus (AS) as well as John (Yahya, AS). These 72 sects of Islam, at the time of the Promised Messiah (AS) without any exception held the belief that Jesus (AS) ascended to heavens with his body and soul and it would be the same Jesus (AS) who will return as the Messiah for the Muslim Ummah. They insist on seeing him descend from heavens with his hand on the wings of two angles on the white Minaret.
Just like the Muslims of the present times, the Jews of the time of Jesus (AS) were waiting for two figures to appear, a priestly Messiah (equivalent of Islamic Mahdi) and a warrior Messiah, a king who would come and deliver Israelite from the bondage of slavery. Lawrence H. Schiffman in his article "Jewish Sectarianism in Second Temple Times" [12] says:
"They believed that the coming age would indeed begin with a great war and punishment, yet they saw the leadership of the people in the hands of two Messianic figures. A priestly Messiah would take precedence and re-establish Jerusalem sacrificial cult. Along with him a Dividic Messiah would rule over the re-established temporal kingdom."
Thus when Jesus (AS) preached peace and tolerance and non-violence, Jews mocked at him and rejected him. Today Muslim well aware of the mistakes Jews made, insist on the coming of a Mahdi (the guided one) for the religious reformation of the Ummah and a warrior Messiah. They await a Messiah whose sole job will be to lead Muslims in a holy war against all the other powers of the world and shed blood and kill Dajjal and that's how, most of the Muslims of the present time believe, Messiah will save them.
One Resembling Holy Prophet and His Companions
Now I would like to analyze the one Jama'at which was separated out by 72 collectively and is called Jama'ate Ahmadiyya to see if they had any resemblance with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (RA) as prophecized in the Hadith. I believe that the resemblance mentioned in the hadith should be reflected in all aspects of life of the followers of this one Jama'at. One could clearly see it in their Taqwa as well as in actual events surrounding their lives. As different personalities perceive characters differently and thus a solid proof of the resemblance of a character with another cannot be provided and can only be observed and judged by individuals, so I shall not discuss this. However, I would like to assure everyone, who associates with Ahmadi Muslims that if they observe keenly they will see reflections of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (RA) and Hadhrat Uthman Ghani (RA) among men and Hadhrat Khadija (RA) among women when it comes to financial sacrifices, they will see the character of Hadhrat Bilal (RA) when it comes to steadfastness and they will see reflections of Hadhrat Umar (RA) and Hadhrat Ali (RA) when it comes to bravery. As far Taqwa is concerned, I believe, Allah is the only Judge of Taqwa, so I shall leave that also and let the individuals decide for themselves what do they see in terms of Taqwa when they associate with Ahmadi Muslims.
There are some actual events which surrounded the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions and got recorded in the history as well as some in the Holy Qur'an, which I would like to discuss in this article and show to the readers how these events got repeated in the history of Ahmadiyyat with each and every resemblance with the event which occurred in the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
1. Stoning Because of Beliefs.
I am sure the readers would agree with me that persecution of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (RA) was very severe. However, there is one event of the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) which did not escape any historian. Even the western, non-Muslim historians, like Sir William Muir [13] and W. Montgomery Watt [14], who did not believe the persecution to be that severe, have recorded this event and have testified to the authenticity of the event. This is the event when Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) went to Taif for preaching. Brutal treatment of our beloved master (peace be upon him) by people of Taif is described by many historians and biographers. I would like to quote Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-din Mahmud Ahmad (RA) from his book "Life of Muhammad"[15].
"Reports of him had already reached Taif, and here he now was, without arms of following, a lone individual with only one companion, Zaid. The town folks thought him a nuisance which should be ended, if only to please their chiefs. They set vagabonds of the town and street boys at him who pelted him with stones and drove him out of town. Zaid was wounded and the prophet (peace be upon him) began to bleed profusely."
One thing is very clear in this event that our beloved master (peace be upon him) got pelted with stones just because of holding the beliefs which were against the popular beliefs of the people of that time. This kind of treatment has been received by several Ahmadi Muslims and the resemblance of Ahmadi Muslim to the holy prophet (peace be upon him) and his companion Hadhrat Zaid (RA) in regards to the event of stoning by opponents had been shown to every generation so far since the foundation of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. The very first time this resemblance was manifested for mankind was in the form of shahada by stoning of an Ahmadi Muslim in Afghanistan. The event is described in detail by Promised Messiah (AS) in his book "Tadhkiratush Shahaditain" [16]. Friedmann, an independent historian, has also recorded this event in the following words [17].
"Abdul Latif himself, who accepted Ghulam Ahmad's religious claims in 1900 after he read some of his books, came to Qadian in 1902 and stayed there for several months. Upon his return to Kabul in January 1903 he was arrested. A religious disputation was arranged between himself and several orthodox divines. Predictably enough, it was decided that the Ahmadi views were unacceptable, and that those who held them were unbelievers. When Abdul Latif repeatedly refused to renounce his faith, he was stoned to death in July 1903."
Then in India where the founder of this Jama'at resided resemblance to this event was manifested in 1905 when the Promised Messiah (AS) visited Amritsar and is recorded by Friedmann [18] as well as by Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (RA) whom I shall quote from his book "Hadhrat Ahmad, The Promised Messiah" [19].
"The carriage was brought up to a side door of the apartment, and the Promised Messiah (AS) proceeded to occupy it. As he was going to seat himself, this became known to people, and such of them as were standing outside the lecture hall advanced towards him, and one of them struck at him with a thick heavy stuff. One of his disciples who was nearby at once placed himself between the Promised Messiah (AS) and the assailant to ward off the blow. Fortunately the carriage door was opened and the stuff stuck against it and the gentleman escaped with only a slight injury. As soon as the Promised Messiah had taken his seat the carriage started. The mob rained a shower of stones at it."
The next generation saw this event repeated in the time of Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (RA). After Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II (RA) made a claim to be the promised son of the Promised Messiah (AS), he held several public lectures and gatherings in various cities of the Indian subcontinent in early 1940's and at several of these occasions public pelted Ahmadi Muslims with stones. The severest of them was in Delhi when a number of Ahmadi Muslims were injured due to stoning at the stage [20]. At one of these occasions, Sheikh Ijaz Ahmad Sahib (Nephew of Sir Muhammad Iqbal Sahib), also came to oppose the movement. However, when he saw opponents pelting Ahmadi Muslims with stones, he decided to confess his faith in Ahmadiyya Islam saying that this indeed is the way opponents treated our beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) [21].
In our present time we again witnessed this resemblance with the holy prophet (peace be upon him) in the recent event of Shabqadar, Pakistan where three Ahmadis were pelted with stones just because of their beliefs. The event was reported by various human rights commissions and news agencies [22-24]. NETNEWS (News International) on April 10, 1995 reported [22].
"Supporter of 'infidel' stoned to death. From Abdullah Jan, PESHAWAR: An angry mob stoned a person to death and seriously injured another on Sunday for allegedly converting a Muslim to the Ahmedi faith, in Shabqadar, 45 kilometers from here. The third companion of the victims escaped."
Other than the above so far more than 100 Ahmadi Muslims have been murdered by opponents just because of their beliefs in the Messiah and Mahdi of the time.
2. Similarities in Other Forms of Persecutions.
Next I would like to discuss some of the collective persecution Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions received at the hands of opponents and show the same type of persecution extended towards Ahamdis by all the 72 sections of Islam.
One of the action which people of Mecca resorted to in order to put pressure on Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions to try and force them to denounce their faith and its preaching is recorded by Watt [25] as:
"With the formation of a grand alliance a boycott of clans of Hashim and al-Muttalib was instituted. None of the other clans was to have any business dealings with them, and there was to be no intermarriages."
Is this alliance and boycott any different than the one recorded by Munir Report [26] and Friedmann [27]. Friedmann states:
"All Pakistan Muslim Parties convention was held in Karachi in January 1953. The convention was attended by leading Muslim 'ulama'. Some of them represented organizations, such as the Jama'at-i Islami, the Jamiyyat al-ulama-i Islam and others. The convention resolved to resort to "direct action," demanded the resignation of the prime minister of Pakistan, and declared a total boycott of the Ahmadis."
A total social boycott of Ahmadi Muslims was also announced and implemented in 1974 throughout Pakistan [28]. The price Hadhrat Bilal (RA) paid for reciting the Kalimah is known to every Muslim. Sir William Muir records [29]:
"In the depth of his anguish, the persecutors could force from him but one expression, AHAD! AHAD! 'ONE, ONE (only God)!' On such an occasion Abu Bakr passed by, and secured liberty of conscience to the faithful slave by purchasing his freedom."
Following are a few of the independent opinions and accounts of the price Ahmadi Muslims are paying for reciting the Kalima.
"So far more than 100 people of this Jama'at have been killed in different parts of the world in the name of religion. Since 1984, during the Kalima wiping campaign this Jama'at has had the opportunity to offer sacrifices like the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). About 50 thousand Ahmadis live in Rabwah and a case has been registered against every one of them for the offense of reciting the Kalima." [30].
"Among different periods during the one and a half thousand years history of Islam, Muslims have been alleged to have forced non-believers into reciting the Kalima Tayyeba. However, no other example is found of an event where a person reciting Kalima was stopped by sword." [31].
"Once there was a time when Muslims spread all over the world to preach the Kalima Tayyiba and fasting and prayers and now is the time when a Qadiani cannot recite Kalima even if s/he wants to recite it with a true and pure heart. This is because they are stopped from doing so. Because for them doing so is an offense punishable by law." [32].
The Meccans did not like to call Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions Muslims but called them Sabians [33]. Today, it is illegal in Pakistan for an Ahmadi Muslim to claim to be a Muslim and Ahmadi Muslims are given the names like Mirzais, Qadianis etc. So far 729 cases had been registered against Ahmadi Muslims for calling Adhan, preaching and claiming to be Muslim [34].
It is well known that Meccans tried their best to stop Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions from preaching and practicing their religion. Every possible step was taken to stop them. They were prohibited from Praying and we find its mention even in the Qur'an which many commentators have said to be referring to the action of Abu Jihl.
"Hast thou seen him who forbids. A servant (of Ours) when he prays." [35].
Now a days it has been made illegal for Ahmadi Muslim to Pray as by doing that they would be 'pretending to be Muslim' which for an Ahmadi Muslim is a criminal offense and punishable by law in Pakistan. So far 19 cases had been registered against Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan for Praying (saying Salat) [34].
3. A Glance at the Rainbow of Sacrifices
Between April 1984 and 31st October 1992 Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya has had the honor of making the following sacrifices in the cause of Allah [34].
Number of Ahmadi Muslim Martyred because of their beliefs in Pakistan. 22
Number of Ahmadi Muslims who were attacked with the intention of killing 37
Incidents of digging the graves of dead Ahmadi Muslims 12
Incidences of causing hindrance in burials of Ahmadi Muslims in general graveyards 19
Ahmadi Muslims sentenced to death 7
Number of Ahmadi Muslims charged for putting a badge of Kalima 71
Charged for calling Adhan, Preaching and pretending to be Muslim 729
Charged for saying Assalam-o-alaikum (peace be upon you) 4
Charged for praying (saying Islamic Salat) 19
Charged for reciting the Holy Qur'an 10
Charged for publishing the verses of the Holy Qur'an on an invitation card 48
Charges against Ahmadi Muslim Magazines 103
Confiscated books, newspapers and magazines 462
Ahmadis convicted so far in above trials 112
Ahmadiyya Mosques which have been completely destroyed 11
Ahmadiyya Mosques which have been partially destroyed 7
Mosques which have been sealed 11
Ahmadiyya Mosques which have been seized 2
Mosques whose construction has been hindered 11
Mosques from where the Kalima has been wiped 66
Ahmadi Muslims fired from their jobs because of their beliefs 31
Total Ahmadiyya land seized by opponents from Rabwah 148,225 sq. yards.
4. Similar Allegations Against
Allegations raised against our beloved Master are recorded at many places in the Qur'an. I shall like to present and discuss only two of them. Holy Qur'an records [36]:
"And indeed we know that they say that it is only a man who teaches him. (But) the tongue of him towards whom (their minds) incline (in making this insinuation) is foreign while this is Arabic (tongue) plain and clear."
"And those who disbelieve say, 'It is naught but a lie which he has forged and other people have helped him with it.' Indeed they have perpetrated a (great) injustice and a (great) falsehood. And they say, '(These are) fables of the ancient; (and) he has got them written down, and they are read out to him morning and evening."
These verses are referring to the allegation of the disbelievers that the Christian and Jewish slaves who have been converted to Islam had secretly helped Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in compiling the Qur'an and hence there is a foreign hand behind this conspiracy. Such allegations are raised even today by anti-Muslim forces against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Similar allegations have been raised against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community by the opponents. Firstly Ahmadi Muslims were alleged to have been helped by Hindus. Ehsan Elahi Zaheer, one of bitter enemies of the Ahmadiyya movement wrote [37]:
"Hindus supported the Ahmadi cause through pen, press and platform"
How much that help was could be understood by any person by the prophecies of Promised Messiah (AS) about Pundit Lekh Ram and the prayer duels as well as open debates held by Promised Messiah (AS) with Ariyya Smajists. Secondly an equally absurd and unsubstantiated charge against Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at is the theory of British sponsorship. Nearly every hostile witness alleges that the Ahmadiyya Jama'at owes its foundation, existence and success to the Imperial British Government [38]. While the message of the founder of this Jama'at to the British Queen is recorded in Ayenae Kamalat e Islam which ends in the following words [39]:
"O' Queen of the earth! accept Islam and thou wilt be safe. Be a Muslim. God will provide for thee till the last day and he will save thee and protect thee from thine enemy."
Thirdly Ahmadis are alleged to have been helped by Jews just as the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was alleged [40]:
"Jews helped the Ahmadis academically and equipped them with arguments and self manufactured documents against the accepted principles of Islam"
Further allegation raised against Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is recorded in the holy Qur'an as [41]:
"And those who disbelieve say, 'Why was not Qur'an revealed to him all at once? (We have revealed it) in this manner that We may strengthen thy heart therewith. And we have arranged it in the best form."
The above does not seem to be any different from the allegation raised against the Promised Messiah (AS) by the opponents by saying that why did Promised Messiah (AS) not advance all the claims at once? Why did he first claimed to be Mujaddid, then Muhadith then Mahdi and then Messiah. And a similar answer is given that it was necessary to strengthen the Promised Messiah's own heart about his mission and thus he laid claims to the status's whenever Allah informed him and commanded him to do that.
5. Hijra Because of Persecution.
It is well know in both Islamic as well as non-Islamic worlds that Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions had to migrate out of their homeland and seek asylum into various foreign lands because of intense persecution in Mecca (their homeland). First of this migration was to Abyssinia as recorded by Ibn-e-Hisham [42] and Sir William Muir [43]:
"To escape these indignities and danger of perversion, Muhammad (peace be upon him) now recommended such of his followers as were without protection to seek an asylum in a foreign land."
"This is termed the first Hijra or the flight to Abyssinia, as distinguished from the later more extensive emigration to the same quarter."
And then eventually the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself had to emigrate to Madina around April 622 [44]:
"Two or three weeks after the pledge of Akaba, that is, about the beginning of Muharram, the emigration commenced."
Many Ahmadi Muslims in our present time had to follow this sunnah of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions just because of the beliefs they held and because of the ever intensifying persecution in Pakistan. Following is what the human rights advocates had to say to the united nations [45].
"Ahmadi Muslims are being driven out of Pakistan. When seeking refuge in other countries, they have a prime facie showing of persecution based on religion. Asylum rights and the right of non-refoulement are involved. Any country that forcibly repatriates an Ahmadi Muslim to Pakistan while Ordinance XX is in effect is in violation of international law."
Those who persecute Ahmadi Musilms shamelessly admit that the aim of the persecution is to drive Ahmadi Muslims out of Pakistan or to exterminate them, as expressed by Dr. Karren Parker [46]:
"Leading pro-government Muslim clergy told the speaker that their aim is to drive the Ahmadis out of Pakistan, to arrest those who remain and to destroy or seize Ahmadi religious property."
And finally the migration of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself was resembled by the migration of Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Khalifatul Masih the 4th. The immigration of Hadhrat Ameerul Mo'maneen (may Allah be his helper) like Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in the capacity of the leader of the faithful took place in 1984 after the announcement of the infamous ordinance XX in Pakistan. And just as at the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), other than occasional individual migrations because of the persecution there were two major collective migrations before our beloved master (peace be upon him) migrated to Madina. Similarly, in the present time there were two mass migrations of Ahmadi Muslims out of Pakistan because of persecution before Hadhrat Ameerul Mo'maneen (may Allah be his helper) himself migrated. One of these mass migrations was in 1953 and the other one in 1974.
6. Independent Testimony of Resemblance
In the following I shall present some quotation from different sources where people have testified that Ahmadi Muslims resemble Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions in their character, their struggle, enthusiasm, love for their faith and in persecution they are subjected to.
"At the present time all the sects of Muslims are impressed one way or the other by English, Hindu or other nations. It is only Ahmadi Jama'at, which like the first Muslims are not influenced by any individual or a group and are carrying out purely Islamic works." [47].
"We still retain the truthfulness and Islamic Spirit in India because here the unveiled services of the spiritual leaders are constantly at work. And there have always been some scholars of such a stature who do not worship wealth. And if you ask the truth, in the present time, this work is carried out by the followers of Late Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on the same pattern as the first Muslims used to do it." [48].
"It is an accepted fact that the way Ahmadi Muslim are preaching their religion and practical vigorous efforts they have done in this endeavor has hardly been paralleled by any other Islamic Jama'at after the Arab Khulafa'a-i-Rashideen." [49].
Taj Muhammad Bhatti, Nazim-e-Aala (the highest regional office) Majlise Tahafze Khatme Nabuwwat (an organization established to and bent on persecuting Ahmadi Muslims) Quetta Pakistan gave the following testimony in a court trial [50]:
"It is true that at the time of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), when people prayed (said Salat), called Adhan or recited Kalima, the disbelievers treated them in exactly the same way as we treat Ahmadis today."
7. Similarity in Rewards
Rewards for the sacrifices Muslims of the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) are countless and too many to be noted in this article, however major reward to which Allah has drawn the attention of all Muslims in Sura Nasr of the holy Qur'an in following words [51]:
"When the help of Allah comes and the Victory. And thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troops."
And it is established fact of the history that after Hijra, Islam spread very fast and people entered the fold of Islam in big groups. Tribe after tribe joined the religion of Islam. Specially after the conquest of Mecca, numbers of people entering the fold of Islam was overwhelming. Indeed people entered the fold of Islam in troops at the time of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions.
Following is a portion copied from a page on the world wide web site (see notes for explanation) of the anti-Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. Just as at the time of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companion even the bitterest enemies of Islam bore witness to the success and the rewards Allah bestowed upon early Muslims, today even the bitterest enemies, such as the author of the above mentioned web site who have started an anti-Ahmadiyya Movement, bears witness to the Rewards bestowed by Allah on the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam in the following words [52]:
"Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam is a Religio-Political Trading Corporation. It has branches in all countries and all major cities of the world under whose umbrella Qadianis/Ahmadis are systematically trapping Muslims, who are ignorant of their evil designs. Whether in America, Europe or Central Asia, or the underprivileged and displaced communities like Africans and Bosnian Refugees, all those who are not aware of the real motives of Ahmadiyya Movement get trapped by them in the name of Islam. 50,000 Muslims in Mali, 24,000 Muslims in Ivory Coast, 100,000 Bosnian Refugees in Europe and 45000 Albanians are just a few victims of Qadiani Onslaught."
Do we see the promise of Allah made in the words, "And thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troops.", being fulfilled again in favor of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam?
8. Closing Remarks
At the end I would like to leave the readers, who may see the resemblance of one Jama'at (out of 73 sects among Muslims) with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions, with some Ahadith of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to ponder at.
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
"One who dies without accepting the Imam (Appointed by Allah) of the time, his death is a death in disbelief". [53]
Regarding Imam Mahdi, our beloved master said:
"When you see him (Imam Mahdi) then certainly perform bait to him even if you have to crawl over your knees through the mountains of snow because he (Imam Mahdi) will be the Khalifa of God." [54].
"One who obeyed Imam Mahdi obeyed me, one who disobeyed him disobeyed me" [55].
"One who rejected Imam Mahdi he did kufr" [56].
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) among many of his prophecies has mentioned, in one hadith, a prophecy which many of us have seen fulfilled in our life time. More than 1400 years ago, our beloved master, Muhammad (peace be upon him) made a prophecy in the following words[1]:
Abdullah bin Amar (RA) relates that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said "Surely things will happen to my people as happened earlier to Israelites, they will resemble each other like one shoe in a pair resembles the other to the extent that if anyone among the Israelites has openly committed adultery to his mother there will be some who will do this in my Ummah as well, verily the Israelites were divided into 72 sections but my people will be divided into 73 sections, all of them will be in the fire except one." The companions asked, 'Who are they O Messenger of Allah,' Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "They are those who will be like me and my companions."
In this hadith there are quite a few things to be noted. Firstly, it mentions the resemblance of Muslim Ummah with the Israelites (i.e. Jews). In another hadith [2] this resemblance is mentioned in the words that as among the Jews a prophet was raised in every century among Muslims a reformer will be raised and as among the Jews at the end of the chain of prophets a Messiah was raised a Messiah will be raised among Muslims. Among Jews there were 12 tribes each divided into six sects making a total of 72 sects at the time when the Messiah (i.e. Jesus, AS) was sent to Israelites (A full list of the Jewish sects at the time of Jesus, peace be upon him, is included in Appendix I). After the appearance of the Messiah among Jewish people the list of sects increased considerably. So while talking about 73 divisions among Muslims and taking into account the resemblances of Muslim Ummah to the Jewish people mentioned in both of the above tradition, it appears that these two ahadith relate to the time of the Promised Messiah (AS).
Authenticity of the Hadith
Other than Tirmidhi, Ibne Maja [3] gives three independent narrations of the same hadith. Talking about the authenticity of this hadith Abu Mansur Abd al-Kahir ibn-Tahir Al-Baghdadi [4] says:
"There are many isnad (independent testimonies) for the tradition dealing with the division of the community. A number of following companions have handed it down as coming from the Prophet (peace be upon him): Anas ibn-Malik, Abu-Hurairah, Abu-l-Darda, Jabir, Abu-Sa'id al-Khidri, Ubai ibn-Ka'b, Abd-Allah ibn-Amr ibn-al-'As, abu-Imamah, Wathilah ibn-al-Aska' and others. It is also handed down that the pious Caliphs mentioned that the community would be divided after them, that one sect only would save itself, and the rest of them would be given to error in this world, and to destruction in the next."
So it becomes quite clear that there is no doubt about the authenticity of this hadith and great scholars of Islam like al-Baghdadi regarded this hadith to be an authentic one. While talking about the types of divisions to occur among the Muslim Ummah, Abu-Mansur al-Baghdadi [4] says:
"Every man of intelligence among the authors of the treatise has known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) in speaking of the divisions that were to be condemned and the members of which were destined for hell-fire, did not mean the various legal schools, who, though they disagreed as to the derivative Institutes of Law, agreed concerning the fundamentals of religion.......... And verily the Prophet (peace be upon him), in mentioning the sects condemned, had in mind only those holders of erring opinions who differ from the one sect which will be saved, in such matters as ethics and the unity, promises and threats (regarding future life), predestination and free-will, the determination of good and evil, right guidance and error, the Will and Wish of God, prophetic vision and understanding, the attributes of Allah, His Names and Qualities, any question concerning what is ordered and what is permitted, [signs for] prophecy and its conditions, and similar questions."
Literal Fulfillment of Prophecy: Existence of 73 Sections.
Having mentioned the resemblance of his Ummah with Jews, and division of the Ummah into 73 sections, Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions that all will be in fire except one. Meaning 72 sects will be in fire while one will be safe. When asked who the safe ones will be, Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) replied "They are those who will be like me and my companions" indicating that remaining 72 will resemble Israelites while only one will resemble him and his companions. Having said that we have to understand that there ought to be a way to separate one Jama'at from 72. Thus there should be some method by which two sets of sections among Muslim Ummah will be formed and in one set there will be only one Jama'at (to which Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, referred to as resembling him and his companions) while the other set will contain 72 sects which will resemble Jews. To go any further we have to establish here three things. Firstly that there were at one time 73 sections of Muslims. Secondly they formed two sets on containing one Jama'at and the other one containing 72 sects. Thirdly the set containing one Jama'at consisted of the followers of a claimant of Messiahship. The third condition has to be fulfilled because, as I have established above, we are referring to the time of the Promised Messiah (AS), only the followers of Messiah can form a Jama'at which resembles Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (RA). To establish that the above mentioned three conditions were fulfilled, I shall present here my translation of a portion of an editorial published in Urdu in Pakistani daily newspaper "Nawai Waqt" [5].
"One of the special importance of this decision has been that on it the consensus of Ummah has been in substantially correct manner. Throughout the history of Islam, such an overwhelming complete consensus has never been reached on any important topic. Other than the big religious scholars, holders of Shar'a, all the political leaders and political leaders of each group have agreed on this consensus. Other than these, all sufia karam, aarifeen Billah, the leaders of Tassawaf and practices had complete agreement. Excluding Qadianis all the rest of 72 sects which are considered to be of Muslims, agreed and are happy on the solution of this affair. Among the leaders of the nation and a'maideen, there does not appear to be any group which does not have a joyous attitude towards this decision. Nation should take a notice of this."
And that was not the only newspaper which testified the number to be 72 following is another testimony of an English newspaper published from U.K. [6].
"By a constitutional amendment the National Assembly has stripped half a million members of the Ahmadiyya community of their religious status as Moslems. The excommunication of such a large number claiming to be Moslems by a political institution is a unique event in the 1400 years of the history of Islam. The burden of taking the measure fell on the National Assembly because Islam rejects priesthood and the Moslems, although divided into 72 sects, do not have a church or a pope. Religious edicts handed down by muftis or religious scholars are not binding on any individual or body of Moslems."
Clearly, according to these newspapers there existed 73 sections in Islam, one Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya and the rest of the 72 (A full list of the sects in Islam is included in Appendix II). The rest of the 72 sects were unanimous and happy and formed a party (a set) excluding the one (the other set) from Islam. Although they all had fatwas declaring one another to be kafirs, when it came to the question of Ahmadi Muslims they were all united so that there remains no doubt as to the identity of 72 and one making a total of 73. I have already established that Jews had 72 sects at the time of Messiah, so this hadith would be reflecting the time of Messiah among Muslim Ummah, which all Muslims today believe is also the time of the appearance of the Mahdi.
Opinions of Some Muslim Saints
Now I would like to present a few quotations from the writings and utterance of a few Muslim saints reflecting on the practices and the name of the Jama'at of the followers of Mahdi and Messiah. Hadhrat Ali (RA) said [7]:
"Mahdi Maoud will be colored with the glory of Muhammadiyya and will have the wealth of Ahmadiyya."
Hadhrat Muhammad bin Faris Misri wrote [8]:
"Our scholar will be prophet and from among those who call towards the truth he will have the station of messengership and our A'arif will be in the period of Ahmadi, will be from among oolulazm (those who have strong determination) and will receive greatness."
Hadhrat Mujaddid Alif Thani wrote[9]:
"Around one thousand and some years after the sad demise of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), the Haqeeqate (truth) Muhammadiyya will ascend from its station and will unite with the place of Haqeeqate (Truth) Ka'aba. At that time Haqeeqate Muhammadi (Muhammadi Truth) will be called Haqeeqate Ahmadi (Ahmadi Truth)."
Hadhrat Imam Ali Al-Qari wrote[10]:
"so among seventy three sects all of them will be in fire and the firqah najiyya (sect deserving paradise) will be the one among ahle sunna (Sunnis) which will have the glory of Muhammadiyya and will be following the holy Tareeqatul (practices of) Ahmadiyya."
Hadhrat Abdur Raheem Grohri wrote [11]:
"Hadhrat Mahdi Maoud has the Muhammadi appearance and will descend like a leader, he will have a mole near one of his eyes. He will re-establish din-e Ahmadi (the Ahmadi practices), our sahib will be bright like the sun and beloved of all. He will be learned, wise, king of wisdom and an eternal saint. O mir Muhammad Sahah! Mahdi will be decorated with the turban of prophethood."
All the above Muslim saints and Sufis understood that at the time of Mahdi Tareeqatul Ahmadiyya will be re-established and thus the followers of the true Mahdi will be practicing the Ahmadiyya Glory of Islam or will be called Ahmadiyya Jamaat..
Resemblance of the 72 to Jews in Their Beliefs
According to the Hadith I have mentioned in the beginning, other than being 72 in number, this set will resemble Jews in their behavior as one shoe in a pair resembles the other. I shall not go into details of the behavior of 72 sects however, would just like to mention resemblance of these sects to the Jews of the time of Messiah (Jesus, AS) in their beliefs.
Jews of that time believed that a previous Israelite prophet Elijah (Ilyas, AS) had ascended to heaven in his chariot of fire and before the advent of the Messiah, he will descend from heavens in his chariot and prepare the grounds for the advent of Messiah and then the Messiah will appear. So when Jesus (AS) made a claim to Messiahship, they rejected him saying we did not see Elijah (Ilyas, AS) descending from heavens. When Jesus (AS), claimed that John the Baptist (Yahya, AS) is the Promised Elijah (Ilyas, AS), Jews insisted that he should have descended from heavens if he was Elijah (Ilyas, AS) and so they rejected both Jesus (AS) as well as John (Yahya, AS). These 72 sects of Islam, at the time of the Promised Messiah (AS) without any exception held the belief that Jesus (AS) ascended to heavens with his body and soul and it would be the same Jesus (AS) who will return as the Messiah for the Muslim Ummah. They insist on seeing him descend from heavens with his hand on the wings of two angles on the white Minaret.
Just like the Muslims of the present times, the Jews of the time of Jesus (AS) were waiting for two figures to appear, a priestly Messiah (equivalent of Islamic Mahdi) and a warrior Messiah, a king who would come and deliver Israelite from the bondage of slavery. Lawrence H. Schiffman in his article "Jewish Sectarianism in Second Temple Times" [12] says:
"They believed that the coming age would indeed begin with a great war and punishment, yet they saw the leadership of the people in the hands of two Messianic figures. A priestly Messiah would take precedence and re-establish Jerusalem sacrificial cult. Along with him a Dividic Messiah would rule over the re-established temporal kingdom."
Thus when Jesus (AS) preached peace and tolerance and non-violence, Jews mocked at him and rejected him. Today Muslim well aware of the mistakes Jews made, insist on the coming of a Mahdi (the guided one) for the religious reformation of the Ummah and a warrior Messiah. They await a Messiah whose sole job will be to lead Muslims in a holy war against all the other powers of the world and shed blood and kill Dajjal and that's how, most of the Muslims of the present time believe, Messiah will save them.
One Resembling Holy Prophet and His Companions
Now I would like to analyze the one Jama'at which was separated out by 72 collectively and is called Jama'ate Ahmadiyya to see if they had any resemblance with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (RA) as prophecized in the Hadith. I believe that the resemblance mentioned in the hadith should be reflected in all aspects of life of the followers of this one Jama'at. One could clearly see it in their Taqwa as well as in actual events surrounding their lives. As different personalities perceive characters differently and thus a solid proof of the resemblance of a character with another cannot be provided and can only be observed and judged by individuals, so I shall not discuss this. However, I would like to assure everyone, who associates with Ahmadi Muslims that if they observe keenly they will see reflections of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (RA) and Hadhrat Uthman Ghani (RA) among men and Hadhrat Khadija (RA) among women when it comes to financial sacrifices, they will see the character of Hadhrat Bilal (RA) when it comes to steadfastness and they will see reflections of Hadhrat Umar (RA) and Hadhrat Ali (RA) when it comes to bravery. As far Taqwa is concerned, I believe, Allah is the only Judge of Taqwa, so I shall leave that also and let the individuals decide for themselves what do they see in terms of Taqwa when they associate with Ahmadi Muslims.
There are some actual events which surrounded the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions and got recorded in the history as well as some in the Holy Qur'an, which I would like to discuss in this article and show to the readers how these events got repeated in the history of Ahmadiyyat with each and every resemblance with the event which occurred in the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
1. Stoning Because of Beliefs.
I am sure the readers would agree with me that persecution of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (RA) was very severe. However, there is one event of the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) which did not escape any historian. Even the western, non-Muslim historians, like Sir William Muir [13] and W. Montgomery Watt [14], who did not believe the persecution to be that severe, have recorded this event and have testified to the authenticity of the event. This is the event when Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) went to Taif for preaching. Brutal treatment of our beloved master (peace be upon him) by people of Taif is described by many historians and biographers. I would like to quote Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-din Mahmud Ahmad (RA) from his book "Life of Muhammad"[15].
"Reports of him had already reached Taif, and here he now was, without arms of following, a lone individual with only one companion, Zaid. The town folks thought him a nuisance which should be ended, if only to please their chiefs. They set vagabonds of the town and street boys at him who pelted him with stones and drove him out of town. Zaid was wounded and the prophet (peace be upon him) began to bleed profusely."
One thing is very clear in this event that our beloved master (peace be upon him) got pelted with stones just because of holding the beliefs which were against the popular beliefs of the people of that time. This kind of treatment has been received by several Ahmadi Muslims and the resemblance of Ahmadi Muslim to the holy prophet (peace be upon him) and his companion Hadhrat Zaid (RA) in regards to the event of stoning by opponents had been shown to every generation so far since the foundation of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. The very first time this resemblance was manifested for mankind was in the form of shahada by stoning of an Ahmadi Muslim in Afghanistan. The event is described in detail by Promised Messiah (AS) in his book "Tadhkiratush Shahaditain" [16]. Friedmann, an independent historian, has also recorded this event in the following words [17].
"Abdul Latif himself, who accepted Ghulam Ahmad's religious claims in 1900 after he read some of his books, came to Qadian in 1902 and stayed there for several months. Upon his return to Kabul in January 1903 he was arrested. A religious disputation was arranged between himself and several orthodox divines. Predictably enough, it was decided that the Ahmadi views were unacceptable, and that those who held them were unbelievers. When Abdul Latif repeatedly refused to renounce his faith, he was stoned to death in July 1903."
Then in India where the founder of this Jama'at resided resemblance to this event was manifested in 1905 when the Promised Messiah (AS) visited Amritsar and is recorded by Friedmann [18] as well as by Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (RA) whom I shall quote from his book "Hadhrat Ahmad, The Promised Messiah" [19].
"The carriage was brought up to a side door of the apartment, and the Promised Messiah (AS) proceeded to occupy it. As he was going to seat himself, this became known to people, and such of them as were standing outside the lecture hall advanced towards him, and one of them struck at him with a thick heavy stuff. One of his disciples who was nearby at once placed himself between the Promised Messiah (AS) and the assailant to ward off the blow. Fortunately the carriage door was opened and the stuff stuck against it and the gentleman escaped with only a slight injury. As soon as the Promised Messiah had taken his seat the carriage started. The mob rained a shower of stones at it."
The next generation saw this event repeated in the time of Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (RA). After Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II (RA) made a claim to be the promised son of the Promised Messiah (AS), he held several public lectures and gatherings in various cities of the Indian subcontinent in early 1940's and at several of these occasions public pelted Ahmadi Muslims with stones. The severest of them was in Delhi when a number of Ahmadi Muslims were injured due to stoning at the stage [20]. At one of these occasions, Sheikh Ijaz Ahmad Sahib (Nephew of Sir Muhammad Iqbal Sahib), also came to oppose the movement. However, when he saw opponents pelting Ahmadi Muslims with stones, he decided to confess his faith in Ahmadiyya Islam saying that this indeed is the way opponents treated our beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) [21].
In our present time we again witnessed this resemblance with the holy prophet (peace be upon him) in the recent event of Shabqadar, Pakistan where three Ahmadis were pelted with stones just because of their beliefs. The event was reported by various human rights commissions and news agencies [22-24]. NETNEWS (News International) on April 10, 1995 reported [22].
"Supporter of 'infidel' stoned to death. From Abdullah Jan, PESHAWAR: An angry mob stoned a person to death and seriously injured another on Sunday for allegedly converting a Muslim to the Ahmedi faith, in Shabqadar, 45 kilometers from here. The third companion of the victims escaped."
Other than the above so far more than 100 Ahmadi Muslims have been murdered by opponents just because of their beliefs in the Messiah and Mahdi of the time.
2. Similarities in Other Forms of Persecutions.
Next I would like to discuss some of the collective persecution Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions received at the hands of opponents and show the same type of persecution extended towards Ahamdis by all the 72 sections of Islam.
One of the action which people of Mecca resorted to in order to put pressure on Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions to try and force them to denounce their faith and its preaching is recorded by Watt [25] as:
"With the formation of a grand alliance a boycott of clans of Hashim and al-Muttalib was instituted. None of the other clans was to have any business dealings with them, and there was to be no intermarriages."
Is this alliance and boycott any different than the one recorded by Munir Report [26] and Friedmann [27]. Friedmann states:
"All Pakistan Muslim Parties convention was held in Karachi in January 1953. The convention was attended by leading Muslim 'ulama'. Some of them represented organizations, such as the Jama'at-i Islami, the Jamiyyat al-ulama-i Islam and others. The convention resolved to resort to "direct action," demanded the resignation of the prime minister of Pakistan, and declared a total boycott of the Ahmadis."
A total social boycott of Ahmadi Muslims was also announced and implemented in 1974 throughout Pakistan [28]. The price Hadhrat Bilal (RA) paid for reciting the Kalimah is known to every Muslim. Sir William Muir records [29]:
"In the depth of his anguish, the persecutors could force from him but one expression, AHAD! AHAD! 'ONE, ONE (only God)!' On such an occasion Abu Bakr passed by, and secured liberty of conscience to the faithful slave by purchasing his freedom."
Following are a few of the independent opinions and accounts of the price Ahmadi Muslims are paying for reciting the Kalima.
"So far more than 100 people of this Jama'at have been killed in different parts of the world in the name of religion. Since 1984, during the Kalima wiping campaign this Jama'at has had the opportunity to offer sacrifices like the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). About 50 thousand Ahmadis live in Rabwah and a case has been registered against every one of them for the offense of reciting the Kalima." [30].
"Among different periods during the one and a half thousand years history of Islam, Muslims have been alleged to have forced non-believers into reciting the Kalima Tayyeba. However, no other example is found of an event where a person reciting Kalima was stopped by sword." [31].
"Once there was a time when Muslims spread all over the world to preach the Kalima Tayyiba and fasting and prayers and now is the time when a Qadiani cannot recite Kalima even if s/he wants to recite it with a true and pure heart. This is because they are stopped from doing so. Because for them doing so is an offense punishable by law." [32].
The Meccans did not like to call Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions Muslims but called them Sabians [33]. Today, it is illegal in Pakistan for an Ahmadi Muslim to claim to be a Muslim and Ahmadi Muslims are given the names like Mirzais, Qadianis etc. So far 729 cases had been registered against Ahmadi Muslims for calling Adhan, preaching and claiming to be Muslim [34].
It is well known that Meccans tried their best to stop Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions from preaching and practicing their religion. Every possible step was taken to stop them. They were prohibited from Praying and we find its mention even in the Qur'an which many commentators have said to be referring to the action of Abu Jihl.
"Hast thou seen him who forbids. A servant (of Ours) when he prays." [35].
Now a days it has been made illegal for Ahmadi Muslim to Pray as by doing that they would be 'pretending to be Muslim' which for an Ahmadi Muslim is a criminal offense and punishable by law in Pakistan. So far 19 cases had been registered against Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan for Praying (saying Salat) [34].
3. A Glance at the Rainbow of Sacrifices
Between April 1984 and 31st October 1992 Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya has had the honor of making the following sacrifices in the cause of Allah [34].
Number of Ahmadi Muslim Martyred because of their beliefs in Pakistan. 22
Number of Ahmadi Muslims who were attacked with the intention of killing 37
Incidents of digging the graves of dead Ahmadi Muslims 12
Incidences of causing hindrance in burials of Ahmadi Muslims in general graveyards 19
Ahmadi Muslims sentenced to death 7
Number of Ahmadi Muslims charged for putting a badge of Kalima 71
Charged for calling Adhan, Preaching and pretending to be Muslim 729
Charged for saying Assalam-o-alaikum (peace be upon you) 4
Charged for praying (saying Islamic Salat) 19
Charged for reciting the Holy Qur'an 10
Charged for publishing the verses of the Holy Qur'an on an invitation card 48
Charges against Ahmadi Muslim Magazines 103
Confiscated books, newspapers and magazines 462
Ahmadis convicted so far in above trials 112
Ahmadiyya Mosques which have been completely destroyed 11
Ahmadiyya Mosques which have been partially destroyed 7
Mosques which have been sealed 11
Ahmadiyya Mosques which have been seized 2
Mosques whose construction has been hindered 11
Mosques from where the Kalima has been wiped 66
Ahmadi Muslims fired from their jobs because of their beliefs 31
Total Ahmadiyya land seized by opponents from Rabwah 148,225 sq. yards.
4. Similar Allegations Against
Allegations raised against our beloved Master are recorded at many places in the Qur'an. I shall like to present and discuss only two of them. Holy Qur'an records [36]:
"And indeed we know that they say that it is only a man who teaches him. (But) the tongue of him towards whom (their minds) incline (in making this insinuation) is foreign while this is Arabic (tongue) plain and clear."
"And those who disbelieve say, 'It is naught but a lie which he has forged and other people have helped him with it.' Indeed they have perpetrated a (great) injustice and a (great) falsehood. And they say, '(These are) fables of the ancient; (and) he has got them written down, and they are read out to him morning and evening."
These verses are referring to the allegation of the disbelievers that the Christian and Jewish slaves who have been converted to Islam had secretly helped Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in compiling the Qur'an and hence there is a foreign hand behind this conspiracy. Such allegations are raised even today by anti-Muslim forces against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Similar allegations have been raised against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community by the opponents. Firstly Ahmadi Muslims were alleged to have been helped by Hindus. Ehsan Elahi Zaheer, one of bitter enemies of the Ahmadiyya movement wrote [37]:
"Hindus supported the Ahmadi cause through pen, press and platform"
How much that help was could be understood by any person by the prophecies of Promised Messiah (AS) about Pundit Lekh Ram and the prayer duels as well as open debates held by Promised Messiah (AS) with Ariyya Smajists. Secondly an equally absurd and unsubstantiated charge against Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at is the theory of British sponsorship. Nearly every hostile witness alleges that the Ahmadiyya Jama'at owes its foundation, existence and success to the Imperial British Government [38]. While the message of the founder of this Jama'at to the British Queen is recorded in Ayenae Kamalat e Islam which ends in the following words [39]:
"O' Queen of the earth! accept Islam and thou wilt be safe. Be a Muslim. God will provide for thee till the last day and he will save thee and protect thee from thine enemy."
Thirdly Ahmadis are alleged to have been helped by Jews just as the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was alleged [40]:
"Jews helped the Ahmadis academically and equipped them with arguments and self manufactured documents against the accepted principles of Islam"
Further allegation raised against Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is recorded in the holy Qur'an as [41]:
"And those who disbelieve say, 'Why was not Qur'an revealed to him all at once? (We have revealed it) in this manner that We may strengthen thy heart therewith. And we have arranged it in the best form."
The above does not seem to be any different from the allegation raised against the Promised Messiah (AS) by the opponents by saying that why did Promised Messiah (AS) not advance all the claims at once? Why did he first claimed to be Mujaddid, then Muhadith then Mahdi and then Messiah. And a similar answer is given that it was necessary to strengthen the Promised Messiah's own heart about his mission and thus he laid claims to the status's whenever Allah informed him and commanded him to do that.
5. Hijra Because of Persecution.
It is well know in both Islamic as well as non-Islamic worlds that Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions had to migrate out of their homeland and seek asylum into various foreign lands because of intense persecution in Mecca (their homeland). First of this migration was to Abyssinia as recorded by Ibn-e-Hisham [42] and Sir William Muir [43]:
"To escape these indignities and danger of perversion, Muhammad (peace be upon him) now recommended such of his followers as were without protection to seek an asylum in a foreign land."
"This is termed the first Hijra or the flight to Abyssinia, as distinguished from the later more extensive emigration to the same quarter."
And then eventually the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself had to emigrate to Madina around April 622 [44]:
"Two or three weeks after the pledge of Akaba, that is, about the beginning of Muharram, the emigration commenced."
Many Ahmadi Muslims in our present time had to follow this sunnah of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions just because of the beliefs they held and because of the ever intensifying persecution in Pakistan. Following is what the human rights advocates had to say to the united nations [45].
"Ahmadi Muslims are being driven out of Pakistan. When seeking refuge in other countries, they have a prime facie showing of persecution based on religion. Asylum rights and the right of non-refoulement are involved. Any country that forcibly repatriates an Ahmadi Muslim to Pakistan while Ordinance XX is in effect is in violation of international law."
Those who persecute Ahmadi Musilms shamelessly admit that the aim of the persecution is to drive Ahmadi Muslims out of Pakistan or to exterminate them, as expressed by Dr. Karren Parker [46]:
"Leading pro-government Muslim clergy told the speaker that their aim is to drive the Ahmadis out of Pakistan, to arrest those who remain and to destroy or seize Ahmadi religious property."
And finally the migration of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself was resembled by the migration of Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Khalifatul Masih the 4th. The immigration of Hadhrat Ameerul Mo'maneen (may Allah be his helper) like Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in the capacity of the leader of the faithful took place in 1984 after the announcement of the infamous ordinance XX in Pakistan. And just as at the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), other than occasional individual migrations because of the persecution there were two major collective migrations before our beloved master (peace be upon him) migrated to Madina. Similarly, in the present time there were two mass migrations of Ahmadi Muslims out of Pakistan because of persecution before Hadhrat Ameerul Mo'maneen (may Allah be his helper) himself migrated. One of these mass migrations was in 1953 and the other one in 1974.
6. Independent Testimony of Resemblance
In the following I shall present some quotation from different sources where people have testified that Ahmadi Muslims resemble Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions in their character, their struggle, enthusiasm, love for their faith and in persecution they are subjected to.
"At the present time all the sects of Muslims are impressed one way or the other by English, Hindu or other nations. It is only Ahmadi Jama'at, which like the first Muslims are not influenced by any individual or a group and are carrying out purely Islamic works." [47].
"We still retain the truthfulness and Islamic Spirit in India because here the unveiled services of the spiritual leaders are constantly at work. And there have always been some scholars of such a stature who do not worship wealth. And if you ask the truth, in the present time, this work is carried out by the followers of Late Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on the same pattern as the first Muslims used to do it." [48].
"It is an accepted fact that the way Ahmadi Muslim are preaching their religion and practical vigorous efforts they have done in this endeavor has hardly been paralleled by any other Islamic Jama'at after the Arab Khulafa'a-i-Rashideen." [49].
Taj Muhammad Bhatti, Nazim-e-Aala (the highest regional office) Majlise Tahafze Khatme Nabuwwat (an organization established to and bent on persecuting Ahmadi Muslims) Quetta Pakistan gave the following testimony in a court trial [50]:
"It is true that at the time of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), when people prayed (said Salat), called Adhan or recited Kalima, the disbelievers treated them in exactly the same way as we treat Ahmadis today."
7. Similarity in Rewards
Rewards for the sacrifices Muslims of the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) are countless and too many to be noted in this article, however major reward to which Allah has drawn the attention of all Muslims in Sura Nasr of the holy Qur'an in following words [51]:
"When the help of Allah comes and the Victory. And thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troops."
And it is established fact of the history that after Hijra, Islam spread very fast and people entered the fold of Islam in big groups. Tribe after tribe joined the religion of Islam. Specially after the conquest of Mecca, numbers of people entering the fold of Islam was overwhelming. Indeed people entered the fold of Islam in troops at the time of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions.
Following is a portion copied from a page on the world wide web site (see notes for explanation) of the anti-Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. Just as at the time of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companion even the bitterest enemies of Islam bore witness to the success and the rewards Allah bestowed upon early Muslims, today even the bitterest enemies, such as the author of the above mentioned web site who have started an anti-Ahmadiyya Movement, bears witness to the Rewards bestowed by Allah on the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam in the following words [52]:
"Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam is a Religio-Political Trading Corporation. It has branches in all countries and all major cities of the world under whose umbrella Qadianis/Ahmadis are systematically trapping Muslims, who are ignorant of their evil designs. Whether in America, Europe or Central Asia, or the underprivileged and displaced communities like Africans and Bosnian Refugees, all those who are not aware of the real motives of Ahmadiyya Movement get trapped by them in the name of Islam. 50,000 Muslims in Mali, 24,000 Muslims in Ivory Coast, 100,000 Bosnian Refugees in Europe and 45000 Albanians are just a few victims of Qadiani Onslaught."
Do we see the promise of Allah made in the words, "And thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troops.", being fulfilled again in favor of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam?
8. Closing Remarks
At the end I would like to leave the readers, who may see the resemblance of one Jama'at (out of 73 sects among Muslims) with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions, with some Ahadith of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to ponder at.
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
"One who dies without accepting the Imam (Appointed by Allah) of the time, his death is a death in disbelief". [53]
Regarding Imam Mahdi, our beloved master said:
"When you see him (Imam Mahdi) then certainly perform bait to him even if you have to crawl over your knees through the mountains of snow because he (Imam Mahdi) will be the Khalifa of God." [54].
"One who obeyed Imam Mahdi obeyed me, one who disobeyed him disobeyed me" [55].
"One who rejected Imam Mahdi he did kufr" [56].
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