Following is copy of the original email correspondence I had with and one of the followers of Ahmadiyya movement in Pakistan. He wanted my opinion on Ahmadiyya Movement of Islam. In reply I asked him to tell me why he is a follower of Ahmadiyya, then I would be able to tell him why I’m not.
To honor his privacy, I’ve omitted his name and email address. The contents of the email has been kept as is, except for corrections of some typos / spellings.
The purpose of my putting up this email dialog on the net is to make sure of our standpoints and to avoid repetition of similar emails. Thank you.
1st email correspondence:
**My replies are in between the texts followed by **
Bissmillah herahman Nirahim
THE ADVENT OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI HAS TAKEN PLACE
Introduction
The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement-in-Islam Hazrat Mirza Gulam Ahmad Qadaini, peace be upon him, (1835 – 1908), on receiving divine revelation in Qadain, a far-flung and unknown village in East Punjab, India, Claimed that Allah Has a appointed him as the Promised Reformer of the age, that he was the same Mahdi and Messiah whose advent had been foretold by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace an blessings of Allah be upon him), and that Islam was destined to triumph through him over all the religions of the world.
The first covenant of the bait to start with was taken on March 23rd 1889, by forty of his companions at Ludhiana India. As “AHMAD” is the other name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace an blessings of Allah be upon him), he called his Jamaat “Jamaat Ahmadiyya” which today is the most dynamic movement, which claims to have rediscovered Islam in its pristine purity.
The Promised Messiah wrote more than eighty books and defended Islam all through his life in an unprecedented n\manner against the onslaughts of Christians, Aryans and other.
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**Some points to note:
1.According to the prophecies of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Mahdi (the rightly guided one) is supposed to appear in Middle East, not Southeast.
2.He would be a descendent of the Prophet. Therefore, he is expected to be an Arab, not Indian.
3.The advent of Mehdi is closely tied to few of other events, such as, declaration of war of Christians against Arabs, war with the Dajjal (the anti-Christ), and the return of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him). I'm afraid none of those had happened then. But it is happening now. Therefore, 'the advent of the promised Messiah and Mahdi has NOT taken place'.
I haven't read any of his books. So I can't comment on them or his thoughts.
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After his demise in 1908, Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin of blessed memory was elected the first Khalifa and successor in fulfillment of divine promise.
The present Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth successor, was elected to this exalted office 1982, but had to leave Pakistan in 1984, as it was no longer possible for him to carry not his religious duties because of the anti- Ahmadiyya policies of the government. He now Lives in London and guides the Jamaat. He Jammat today is a worldwide movement and Millions of souls have joined its fold. Last year some 80,050,000 converts joined the jamaat. He claim of the holy founder in his own words is given below.
“Brother! I have been blessed with divine revelation by Allah Almighty and vouchsafed the spiritual vision, which partakes of the verities of true gnosis. I have been raised at the turn of the century to rejuvenate the faith of the Ummah, arbitrate between their internecine disputes, demolish the Cross through heavenly signs and transform the earth through distinct and authentic revelation addressed me as the Promised Messiah and Mehdi. I am not one of the imposters; nor am I the kind whose tongue could ever lie and lead people to evil.” (Najm-ul-Hudaa, Rohani khazain, v.14 p.59)
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**The points to ponder on:
1.'Maulvi Nuruddin' maybe a Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya movement, he is definitely NOT the Khalifa of the Islamic world.
2.The Islamic Caliphate is supposed to bring peace and harmony around the world, Islam being the dominant and accepted religion. But it didn't happen yet.
3.'Gulam Ahmad' couldn't achieve the goals being the Mehdi, nor could the first Khalifa 'Maulvi Nuruddin', now lets see if the 4th Khalifa 'Mirza Tahir Ahmad' could do anything!
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“ Indeed I am the one who was to come on behalf of Allah to rejuvenate and re-establish the faith that had virtually disappeared from the face of the earth, and through divine help alone, draw humanity to self-reform, fear of Allah and truthfulness, and also to rectify their errors of thought and practice … It has been disclosed to me through divine revelation that the Messiah and Madhi, who has been promised to this Ummah since the beginning and whose coming was to synchronize with the decadence of the world of
Islam, who was to be directly guided by Allah, and who was to provide spiritual nourishment for souls as ordained by Providence, and of whom glad tiding had already been given by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace an blessings of Allah be upon him), some thirteen hundred years before, is none other that I.” (Tazkira-tush Shahadtain, Rohani khazain, v.20 p.403)
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**A same comment above applies.
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“ Only in the name of Allah do I hereby communicate this important news that Allah, at he turn of the fourteenth century, has appointed me to rejuvenate and reinforce Islam so that during theses chaotic times I should demonstrate the beauties and excellences of the Holy Quran and Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace an blessings of Allah be upon him), and to rebut the attacks of the opponents of Islam, with the light of divine guidance,
grace, miracles and true gnosis with which I have been blessed.”
(Barakat-ud-Duaa, Rohani khazain, v.6 p.34)
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**I don't know what kind of 'blessing' he is talking about. All I can tell you is, the world has not been blessed yet. Just look around you to reflect. The world has become more chaotic than before!
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“Words of advice to every Muslim! Awake for the sake of Islam, for Islam is in deep trouble, come and lend a helping hand to it for it is helpless at present. I too have been for sent for this very purpose. Allah has endowed me with the knowledge and understanding of the Holy Quran and revealed to me its subtle truths and conferred extraordinary signs upon me. Therefore, hasten to me so that your, too, may partake of this blessing. I swear by Allah Almighty, who is the sustainer of my life, that I have been appointed by Him…Soon you will recognize me through my works. Every come who came from Allah had to face the ignorance of the clerics of the day. When at long last he was acknowledged through his works, since a bitter tree can never yield sweet fruit. Allah never blesses an impostor with His bounties of which His elect alone partake of. (Barakat-ud-Duaa, Rohani khazain, v.6 p.36)
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**The 'Mehdi's' of Ahmadiyya have definitely failed. Now it is time for another 'Mehdi', the true one that is.
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Continuation on 2nd email correspondence:
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Asalam O Alykum
I quote the correct references so that I can prove that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadain (as) was the same Mehdi and Messiah, which all the Muslims and Christians are waiting for.
Ahmadiyyat is the divinely promised revival of Islam prophesied in the Holy Quran (9:33, 48:29, 61:10) and by the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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**Copied from Yusuf Ali's translation:
009.033 It is He Who hath sent His Apostle with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it).
048.029 Muhammad is the apostle of God; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from God and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. God has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward.
None of the quotes above says anything about 'Ahmadiyya'.
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Great Signs of the Truth of Imam Mahdi & Promised Messiah Fulfilled
Two great heavenly signs which were to mark the advent of The Promised Messiah and The Imam Mahdi, as indicated by Holy Quran and Bible and also described in some detail by The Holy Prophet (SAW) of Islam, appeared as a witness to the truth of the claims of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. During 1894 A.D, in the month of Ramadhan the Lunar and Solar Eclipses occurred on Thursday the 21st March, and Friday the 6th April respectively.
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**What's so interesting about it?
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The Holy Quran Says :
When the eye is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon are brought together (i.e. the Sun will also eclipse), on that day man will say, 'Whither to flee?' (Surah Al-Qiyamah, 75:8-11)
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**This verse is about the 'THE RISING OF THE DEAD, RESURRECTION'. What is the reference here other than that?
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The Holy Bible Says :
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken ; And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. (Matthew Ch. 24 Verse 29 & 30.)
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**Again, this verse is also a reference to the Day of Judgment. We Muslims do not accept the Bible as a valid book for reference. The original teachings of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) is considered lost. And the Bible is a work of people who never knew him nor knew his followers.
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The Holy Prophet of Islam (SAW) Said:
For our Mahdi, there are two signs, which have never appeared before, since the creation of the heaven and earth, namely, the moon will be eclipsed on the first night in Ramadan (on the first of its appointed nights of eclipse), and the sun will be eclipsed on the middle day of Ramadan (middle of the appointed days of eclipse). And these signs have not appeared since the creation of heaven and earth. (Sunan Darqutni)
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**I'm not aware of this hadith. I need to verify this hadith before I make any comments.
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The Promised Messiah Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani (A.S.) Said:
I swear by God in whose hand is my life, that He has manifested this sign in the sky to attest to my truthfulness; ... I have been given such a sign, which was not given to anybody else from the time of Adam to the present time. In short, I can stand in the sacred precincts of the Ka'ba and swear that this sign is for testifying my truth. (Dafeul Bala'a, p. 18)
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**After all these years, it really doesn't matter what he said. All that matter is, what has he accomplished. Show me some of his achievements.
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The Messiah and the Mahdi One and the Same Person
From the Traditions of the Holy Prophet it is evident that the Promised Messiah was to be a follower of the Holy Prophet. One Tradition tells us that 'the Mahdi is no other than the Messiah' [Ibn-e-Maja]
Another Tradition says: 'How would it be with you when the son of Mary will descend among you and you will have a leader raised from among you?" [bukhari, kitabul-anbiya, chapter nuzul isa bin maryam]
These two Traditions leave no doubt that the Messiah himself will be the Mahdi. He would lead followers of the Holy Prophet and would be one from among them, not an outsider. To think that the Messiah and the Mahdi are two different persons is wrong. It is against the clear indication in the Tradition: 'The Mahdi is no other than the Messiah.' It behoves good believers to ponder carefully over the utterances of the Holy Prophet. If the utterances seem contradictory, it is for us to try and resolve the contradictions. If the Holy Prophet said, on the one hand, that the Mahdi will appear before the Messiah, and the Messiah will then join the Mahdi and his followers in worship; and, on the other, that the Messiah himself is the Mahdi, what are we going to do? Accept one utterance and reject the other? Is it not rather our duty to consider the two utterances carefully and try to reconcile one to the other? The two utterances can be reconciled at once if we use one of them to interpret the other. It seems that the promise of the advent of the Messiah was couched in words which suggested that the Messiah and the Mahdi were two different persons. This suggestion is corrected by the Tradition which says 'No Mahdi but the Messiah' This Tradition makes it plain that the other Tradition is metaphorical. It means that a follower of the Holy Prophet will arise for the purpose of revivifying the world, but would not have that rank of a prophet. Then the promise relating to the second coming of Jesus will be fulfilled in his person and he will announce himself the Promised Messiah. The Tradition, therefore, tells us that the Promised One will start his career as a Muslim reformer who will become invested with the office of Messiah. Divine prophecies have to employ metaphors. They would convey very little otherwise.
If our interpretaion of these Traditions is not correct, then there are only two alternatives left for a seeker-after truth, both of them absurd and dangerous. Either, we admit that the Tradition, which describes the Messiah and the Mahdi as one and the same person, is not a true Tradition, or, we admit that the Messiah and the Mahdi are two different persons and that the intention of the Tradition is to point to a difference of spiritual significance in the two. It may mean that the true Mahdi would be the Messiah. The other, Mahdi would be insignificant compared with the Messiah. It would be like saying, "Nobody knows but so and so." When we say such a thing, we do not mean literally that nobody else knows. What we mean is that the given person knows very much more. However, both interpretations are dangerous. One requires us to treat, without good reasons, as spurious a Tradition which is a well authenticated one, true on all sound criteria. The other implies that the Mahdi, in comparison with the Messiah, will be as nothing. Such a thought would be contrary to the Traditions which teach that the Mahdi will be the Imam and the Messiah a follower who stands behind the Imam in a congregation. Both alternatives, therefore, are absurd. The only worthwhile interpretation we can put upon the Tradition is that they foretell the coming of a Messenger from among the followers of the Holy Prophet. This Messenger will first present himself as a reformer and later announce himself the Messiah of the prophecy. The same person will be the Mahdi as well as the Messiah. Except for this interpretation, there can be no plausible interpretation of the Traditions on the subject.
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**Traditions are secondary resources of Islam. They are meant to be the compliments of the Quranic teaching. Besides, there are a lot of hadiths or traditions that are weak or doubtful in nature. And we are now dealing with such a subject where there aren't many authentic hadiths.
Even if we consider the hadiths you have presented above, it is clear from the content that the hadith is refering to Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) as the Messiah. So, if Gulam Ahmad is the Mehdi, are you suggesting that he was the 'son of Mary'?
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Prophecy of the Messiah (as) in Surah Jumma (62)
1. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
2. Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth glories Allah, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Mighty, the Wise.
3. He it is Who has raised among the Unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance;
4. And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
5. That is Allah's grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases; and Allah is the Master of immense grace.
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**This is no prophecy. This is simply a confirmation of a fact that a 'Messenger' has been raised from among the illiterate Arab people. The Messenger (Muhammad) himself was also 'unlettered'. Yet, he taught and purified them. Was Gulam Ahmad 'unlettered'? He wrote a lot of books! Didn't he?
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Holy Quran on Imam Mahdi
"He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of truth, that He May cause it to prevail over all religions, even if those who associate partners with God hate it." (61:10)
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**This is a reference to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam was a dominant religion during the time of Chaliphate.
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In the Qartabi Commentary it is stated: The predominance of the True Religion will be in the time of the Messiah. The time will come that there will be no religion left in the world except Islam. In the Qami Commentary, the explanation of this verse is thus: The True Religion will prevail over all other religions in the time of the Imam of the Last Days. He will fill the earth with justice while the earth would have been full of injustice and violence before his advent. The True Law (Islamic Law) will be enforced only after his advent.
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**Commentaries are annotations of personal understanding. However, I've no problem accepting that Islam will be a dominant religion again during the reign of the Mehdi and Messiah. Since the demise of Caliphate in 1924, this is yet to happen.
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"And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise." (62:4)
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**The verse is taken out of context. This is a part of Sura Jumma. The chapter talks about the unlettered Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). And this particular verse is referring to future Muslims.
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In the Qarbati Commentary, the explanation of this verse is in the form of a Hadith quoted there. This Hadith is as follows: "Abu Huraira relates that people were sitting around the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, when Surah Jummah was revealed. When Huzoor recited the verse quoted above, a person enquired the Holy Prophet who those people would be?
He repeated this question two or three times. Hazrat Salman the Persian was also sitting in the audience. The Holy Prophet put his hand on the shoulder of Salman the Persian and said: "If faith would go up to the Plaides even then people from the among Persians will certainly bring to back to earth." In some versions of the above Hadith, the words "a man from the Persians" is related, instead of "people from among the Persians."
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**I don't think this particular hadith refers to that verse. I do not see any relevance here. The emphasis here is on the 'Persians'. And Persians are not the only people that joined Islam in the later Islamic period.
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One true Jammat in 73 sections of ummah 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 Trimizi, Kitabul Eeman :
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 (Abu Daud, Vol 2, p241) 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).
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**Now I'm confused. Now you are telling me that Messiah [Messiah (i.e. Jesus, AS)] and Mehdi aren't the same? And how would Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) know about the 73 divisions of Muslim ummah? At that time, Islam was not even complete!
Would you like to continue this discussion any further? If not, then I would like to draw a conclusion in my next email. Thanks.
Some online references on Mehdi and Dajjal:
http://www.geocities.com/islam2jannat/main.htm
http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/unseen/0002.htm
Also try a google serach for 'mehdi and dajjal' at http://www.google.com
After this email, I haven’t heard from him again. Therefore, I’ll draw my conclusion.
Conclusion:
To be recognized as a Muslim and to remain in Islam, one has to acknowledge the followings:
1. Belief in One God, and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
2. Belief in the Angels.
3. Belief in the Day of Judgment.
4. Belief in After Life.
5. Belief in Heaven and Hell.
6. Belief in the Qur’an and all other revelations.
7. Belief in all other prophets as prophets of Islam.
As well as practice and maintain the five pillars of Islam:
1. Declaration of Faith (Kalema)
2. Daily Prayers (Salah / Namaz)
3. Compulsory Fasting during the month of Ramadan (Roza)
4. Pilgrimage (Hajj- at least once in a lifetime)
5. Wealth Tax or Poor Due (Zakah).
Everything else is irrelevant. Anything other than the points mentioned above can be debated and argued for the sake of freedom of understanding. But none of the above can be debated or doubted. Those are the firm requirements to be a Muslim.
When a Muslim dies, two Angels Munkar and Nekir (peace be upon them) comes to the grave and asks the following questions:
1. Who is your Lord?
2. What is your religion?
3. Who is your prophet?
The dead persons fate will be determined on the basis of these questions. Therefore, for a Muslim, the response to these questions should not be anything other than “Allah”, “Islam” and “Muhammad” respectively. If a Muslim fails to answer these questions, it would be assumed that he or she have not been fortunate enough to die in Islam. Pay close attention to the following verses of the Qur’an:
"3.102": O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims.
"3.103": And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited, and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favor you became brethren; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you from it, thus does Allah make clear to you His communications that you may follow the right way.
"3.104": And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful.
"3.105": And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear arguments had come to them, and these it is that shall have a grievous chastisement.
The verses above are clear on the matter of ‘disunity’ and ‘division’. Qur’an insists on unity of Muslims as a single brotherhood. We have been told to ‘hold fast by the covenant of Allah’. In the days of ignorance (jahiliya), the Arabs were disunited and were divided among themselves as many different tribes. But Allah brought them all under one single banner of Islam. This is what Islam all about. It is about uniting the mankind under One God, one faith, one religion, and one government. Not by force, but through ‘invitation to good’, ‘enjoining what is right and forbidding the wrong’.
One final advice to the followers of Ahmadiyya; I’m not convinced that Gulam Ahmad was the Mehdi. And I’ve tried my best to counter the arguments presented above. Although your belief in Gulam Ahmad as a Mehdi may not nullify your Islam, but you all are taking a serious chance by doing so. Because, if you insist on that belief. You are actually going against majority of the Islamic scholars around the world. And not only that, you are also holding onto some weak hadith that may not be correct.
Instead of being too rigid on that issue, I would suggest that you all lighten up and gradually avoid it altogether. Because, when the true Mehdi will come and would ask for allegiance (baya) of the Muslims from around the world, then you all miss out on that opportunity to participate in a grand divine project of re-establishment of Caliphate. For it would be the job of the Mehdi to rejuvenate the “Undefeatable Army of Islam” once again; the army that would march from one corner of the globe to the other with nothing but victory. So be patient and wait for the call of the Mehdi. After all, this life is nothing but a game of patience.
Those who do know about the Ahmadiyya
Movement, may want to visit one of their official websites at http://www.alislam.org/
. To explore more about Ahmadiyya or other groups, you may visit http://www.allaahuakbar.net/index.htm
.