Guidance regarding basic Islamic issues – which Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa has given on various occasions in his written correspondence and during MTA programmes – is being officially published below for everyone’s benefit
Seeing white birds, white houses and the Kaaba in a dream
A non-Ahmadi lady wrote some of her and her brother’s dreams to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, seeking their interpretation. She also requested Huzoor-e-Anwaraa to answer some of her questions about the Jamaat. Furthermore, she sought Huzoor’saa permission to marry an Ahmadi young man.
Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 22 August 2021, gave the following reply to her:
“As far as the marriage is concerned, if the young man also wishes to marry you, he should ask me for permission himself.
“You have sent me your and your brother’s dreams, in which white birds, white houses and the presence of the Kaaba in those houses have been especially mentioned. Seeing white in a dream means goodness, blessings, and purity of faith. Birds symbolise spiritual growth and development. Moreover, the presence of the Kaaba in a house indicates that the pleasure of Allah the Exalted is contained in that house and it also points towards the reformation of the religion of the family and towards their being safe from all kinds of fear.
“May Allah guide you to the path of truth and true Islam. May He enable you to recognise the Messiahas of Muhammadsa who was sent in exact accordance with the prophecies of the Holy Prophetsa, to accept his claims with a sincere heart and to beautify your world and the hereafter by following his teachings. Amin.
“Once the truth has been conclusively communicated, those who still depart this world without having believed in the Promised Messiahas, who was the most ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, may have to face many kinds of grief in the hereafter because they would have left this world without having obeyed the commands of Muhammad, the Chief of the Messengers, the Prophet of the Final Age, the Seal of the Prophets, the Holiest of Prophets, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The description of your father seeing horrible scenes after his death in your dream hints at this warning. May Allah have mercy on him by enabling his children to recognise the truth and accept it and then offer supplications for him that are accepted by Allah the Almighty. Amin.
“Other than that, as far as your questions are concerned, their detailed answers are available in the various books of our Jamaat, from where you can read them. I will provide you with their brief responses here.”
Muslim clerics and the Promised Messiahas
“It is not surprising that religious scholars and other Muslims who claim to be intellectuals do not see the fulfilment of the prophecies and signs that affirm the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas, because faith is achieved by Allah’s grace, not merely by one’s knowledge and intellect. The greatest example of this is that a seemingly uneducated and illiterate slave like Sayyiduna Bilalra recognised the light of Prophethood of our Lord and Master, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, whereas the chief of the valley of Mecca, who was referred to as ‘the father of wisdom’ (’Abu l-Hikam), did not recognise that light and was, thus, called ‘the father of ignorance’ (’Abu Jahl).”
La Nabiyya Ba‘di
“The truth about the Holy Prophet’ssa uttering the words لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي about himself was elucidated by Hazrat Aishara (about whom the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘Learn half of the knowledge of religion from Aishara!’) in the following words:
قُولُوا خَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ، وَلا تَقُولُوا لا نَبِيَّ بَعْدَهُ
“‘Say he is Khatam an-Nabiyyin, but do not say that there is no prophet after him.’ (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Juz’ 6, Hadith 2019)
“The reason for this statement of Hazrat Aishara was that after the passing of the Holy Prophetsa and the period of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate, the misconception started to spread among people that the door of all types of prophethood had been closed after the Holy Prophetsa.
“Since Hazrat Aishara was also aware of the other glad tidings mentioned by the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophetsa about the Messiahas of Muhammadsa who was to be sent among the Akharin, in order to remove this misunderstanding that had arisen among the people in that era, she said that you should use the term Khatam an-Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets), that is, now, any prophet who would appear in the world, he would only follow the Holy Prophetsa and would come as a result of his blessings and would be subject to his sharia. She told the people, however, not to say that no prophet of any kind could come after him because this was against the Holy Prophet’ssa status of Khatam an-Nabiyyin. The Holy Prophet Muhammad’ssa status of Khatam an-Nabiyyin is confirmed only when one of his followers [ummati] attains the position of a zilli, buruzi or ummati prophethood through the blessings of the Holy Prophetsa and owing to his following and obeying him.
“The Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, peace be upon him, while elucidating this fact, stated:
“‘I swear by God Who has sent me — and cursed be those who fabricate lies about Him — that He has sent me as the Promised Messiah. Just as I believe in the verses of the Holy Quran, so do I believe — without the least difference — in the manifest Revelation which has been revealed to me, and the truth of which God has demonstrated to me through repeated signs. I am ready to swear in the precincts of the Holy House of God [Baitullah] that the pure Revelation which descends upon me is the word of the same God Who spoke to Mosesas, to Jesusas, and to the Holy Prophetsa.
“‘The earth has borne witness to my truth, as have the heavens. Both have proclaimed that I am the Vicegerent of God. But it was necessary, in accordance with the prophecies, that I should be denied. This is because those whose hearts are in veils do not accept the truth. I know that God will surely support me as He has always supported His Messengersas. No one can stand against me, because Divine support is not with them.
“‘Wherever I have denied being a Prophet or Messenger, it has only been in the sense that I have not brought an independent law nor am I an independent Prophet. I am a Messenger and Prophet only in the sense that I have received spiritual grace from the Messengersa whom I follow, and, having received his name for myself, and through him, I have received knowledge of the unseen from God. But I have not come with a new law. I have never denied being called a Nabi (Prophet) in this sense. Indeed, it is in this very sense that God has addressed me as Nabi and Rasul; and it is in this sense that I do not deny being a Nabi or Rasul. As for my statement:
من نيستم رسول و نيا ورده اَم كتاب
“‘[I am not a Messenger and have brought no book.]’
“‘It only means that I am not a law-bearing Prophet.
“‘However, it must be borne in mind and should never be forgotten, that, despite being addressed as Nabi and Rasul, I have been informed by God that this bounty has not descended upon me directly. There is a holy being in heaven whose spiritual grace is with me and he is Muhammad, the Chosen Onesa. It is on the basis of this relationship, and by merging myself in him, and by receiving his names — Muhammad and Ahmadsa — that I am a Rasul as well as Nabi, which, in other words, means that I have been commissioned by God and I receive knowledge of the unseen from Him. Thus the Seal of Khatamun Nabiyyin remains intact, for I have received his name by way of reflection and Zill, through the mirror of love.’ (Eik Ghalati Ka Izala: A Misconception Removed [English], Tilford: 2007, pp. 9-11)
“In another of his works, he wrote:
“‘Remember, our belief is that the Holy Quran is the Final Book and the Final Law, and until the Day of Judgment, no Prophet can appear who brings a new law or who receives revelation without having followed the Holy Prophetsa. In fact, this door is firmly closed until the end of time; however, the door to revelation received through obedience to the Holy Prophetsa is open until the Day of Judgement. That revelation which is the result of following the Holy Prophetsa can never be terminated. But law-bearing or independent Prophethood has now come to an end.’ (A Review of the Debate between Batalavi and Chakrhalavi [English], Tilford: 2014, p. 12)”
Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah: Caliphate on the precepts of Prophethood
“‘Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah’ refers to the dispensation of the caliphate which is established on the precepts of prophethood to carry forward its works. In the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted has promised this caliphate to the believers in the following words:
وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنۡكُمۡ وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِي الۡاَرۡضِ كَمَا اسۡتَخۡلَفَ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِمۡ ۪ وَ لَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِيۡنَهُمُ الَّذِي ارۡتَضٰي لَهُمۡ وَ لَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ اَمۡنًا ؕ يَعۡبُدُوۡنَنِيۡ لَا يُشۡرِكُوۡنَ بِيۡ شَيۡئًا ؕ وَ مَنۡ كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذٰلِكَ فَاُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ
“‘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.’ (Surah an-Nur, 24:56)
“Furthermore, it is also stated in a hadith of the Holy Prophetsa that:
مَاكَانَتْ نُبُوَّةٌ قَطُّ اِلَّا تَبِعَتْهَا خِلَافَةٌ
“‘There has never been a Prophethood which was not succeeded by Khilafat.’ (Al-Jami‘ as-Saghir by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, al-Juz’ II, Egypt: 1306 AH, p. 126)
“In accordance with these divine promises, this dispensation of Caliphate on the precepts of Prophethood [Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah] was first established among the believers immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa in the form of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate. Then, after the advent of the Messiahas of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa and his most ardent devotee, during the renaissance of Islam, this dispensation was re-established as per the prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa. Our Lord and Master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Chosen One, peace be upon him, describes this glad tiding in one of his sayings as follows:
“Hazrat Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamanra narrates that the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘Prophethood shall remain among you for as long as Allah decides for it to remain and then Allah shall lift it when He decides to lift it. After prophethood, there shall be Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah and it shall exist for as long as Allah decides for it to exist. Then He will take away (this blessing) when He decides to take it away. Then, (as per His decree), there will be a mordacious monarchy (under which people will feel dejected and oppressed) […] (Once that period has come to an end, as per His other decree), there will be an even more severe form of tyrannical despotism, until (the mercy of Allah will be moved and) He will bring an end to that period (of oppression and persecution) […] Then Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah shall be established once again.’ Thereafter, he remained silent. (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 6, Musnad Nu‘man ibn Bashir, Hadith 18596, Beirut: ‘Alam Al Kotob, 1998, p. 285)
“In the above-mentioned Quranic promise and the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa, there were prophecies that when Allah the Exalted would establish Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah in the ummah of Prophet Muhammadsa, there would also be established many worldly kingdoms and ‘caliphates’ among the Muslims. However, a sign of the Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah would be that it would not be established by responding to extremists with extreme attitudes. It would also not be achieved by shooting and killing etc. among any two groups of the Muslim ummah. Rather, that Khilafah was to be a caliphate established by invoking the mercy of Allah the Exalted. And that Khilafah which was to be established as a result of the mercy of Allah the Exalted and His grace, was not only to be a means of love, of exchanging fears with peace and security, of guaranteeing the consolidation of the Faith, of establishing the Unity of Allah the Exalted in the world for its followers, rather that caliphate was also to be a guarantor of peace for the whole world and it was to draw the attention of governments towards justice and honesty, and it was to draw the attention of people towards fulfilling their duties with honesty and due diligence.
“Hence, just as the Rightly-Guided Caliphate that was established after the Holy Prophetsa did this work, the Ahmadiyya Caliphate that was established as a result of the advent of the Holy Prophet’ssa spiritual son, the Promised Messiahas, continues to do the same work in this era by the grace of Allah the Exalted.”
Minaratul Masih
“As far as Minaratul Masih is concerned, just as the previous prophets and messengers of God Almighty, during their respective eras, used to try to also fulfil prophecies in their literal form, following the Sunnah of the prophets and with the permission of Allah the Exalted, the Promised Messiahas initiated the construction of this minaret to also fulfil the following prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa in its literal form:
“Hazrat Nawwas bin Samanra narrates a long tradition in which the Holy Prophetsa said, among other things, that:
إِذْ بَعَثَ اللّٰهُ الْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ فَيَنْزِلُ عِنْدَ الْمَنَارَةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ شَرْقِيَّ دِمَشْقَ
“‘When Allah will send the Messiah, son of Mary, he will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-fitan wa ’ashrat as-sa‘ah)
“In order to fulfil this prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa in its literal form, many Muslim kings tried to build such a minaret. Hence, in 461 AH, a minaret was built in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, which was destroyed by a fire caused by the Christians many years later. In later periods, this minaret was rebuilt, but then both the minaret and the mosque were destroyed by fire. For the third time in 805 AH, the governor of Syria started the reconstruction of this minaret and it was named the Minaret of Jesus […] [The dates and other historical details vary hugely depending on the sources one consults, with the common element in them being that the minaret was destroyed by fires or earthquakes etc. and later rebuilt several times throughout history. — The Editor, Al Hakam]
“The Promised Messiahas appeared in the town of Qadian which is located just east of Damascus. He also initiated the construction of a minaret to fulfil the literal aspect of the prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa. However, that construction could not be completed during his blessed era due to unfavourable financial circumstances, but it was completed during the first two years of the caliphate of his second successor, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmadra. The minaret reached its completion in 1915. It still stands tall at the place of the advent of the Promised Messiahas and is known as Minaratul Masih i.e. the minaret of the Messiah. While highlighting the purpose and goal of the construction of this minaret, the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, states:
“‘In the Prophetic hadith, it was stated about the Promised Messiah that he would descend near the White Minaret [minarat al-baida’]. The purpose of this statement was to indicate that it was a sign of the time of the Promised Messiah that during his time, owing to the interconnectedness of the world, the development of roads, and the ease of assembly, it would be so easy for him to propagate God’s commandments, convey the light of faith and to call people to it, as if he were [able to do so merely] standing on a minaret […] In short, the use of the term ‘minaret’ used for the time of the Messiah indicates that his light and voice would spread across the world very fast. And these facilities were indeed not available to any other prophet.’ (Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. III, 2019, p. 51)
“He further states:
“‘There is a hidden fact within the word ‘minaret’ itself, and that is that it is mentioned repeatedly in the Hadith of the Holy Prophetsa that the Messiah to come would appear as the Man of the Minaret. This signified that in his age, the truth of Islam would reach the greatest of heights in the likeness of a towering minaret, and that the religion of Islam would prevail over all religions just as the voice of the one who makes the call to prayer, standing atop a tall minaret, dominates all other voices. So, it was but destined that the same would happen in the time of the Messiah, as Allah the Exalted states:
هُوَ الَّذِيۡۤ اَرۡسَلَ رَسُوۡلَهٗ بِالۡهُدٰي وَ دِيۡنِ الۡحَقِّ لِيُظۡهِرَهٗ عَلَي الدِّيۡنِ كُلِّهٖ
“[‘‘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.’ (Surah as-Saff, 61:10)]
“‘This verse is in favour of the Promised Messiah. The loud voice of the conclusive proofs of the veracity of Islam [hujjat al-islam], under which all voices drown, has been reserved for the Messiah since eternity. And since ancient times, the step of the Promised Messiah has been declared to be standing on that high minaret, higher than which there is no other edifice.’ (Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. III, 2019, p. 52)
“He further states:
“‘It should be remembered that the main purpose of building this minaret is to fulfil the prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa. In the past, a minaret was built twice on the eastern side of Damascus for this very purpose, which was later destroyed by fire. This is the same kind of purpose as when Hazrat Umarra had a companion wear gold bangles from the spoils of the Chosroes to fulfil a prophecy.’ (Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. III, 2019, p. 80, footnote))”
The appearance of the Messiah and the Judgement Day
“In the ahadith, which mention the coming of the Day of Resurrection forty years after the advent of Hazrat Isaas ibn Maryam, there are many things that require to be interpreted, as is characteristic of prophecies that many things in them require interpretation. Thus, first of all, the word qiyamah itself requires interpretation, since it appears in the Holy Quran and the ahadith of the Holy Prophetsa carrying different connotations: The word qiyamah has been used for the universal catastrophe when the order of this world will be wrapped up. The death of every person is also a qiyamah for that person. The period of a prophet also serves like a qiyamah for his enemies when their false beliefs are defeated and the truth prevails.
“The blessed era of the Holy Prophetsa was also a qiyamah for the people of Arabia, about which Allah the Exalted states:
اِقۡتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَ انۡشَقَّ الۡقَمَرُ
“‘The Hour (of the destruction of Arabia) has come, and the moon is rent asunder.’ (Surah al-Qamar, 54:2)]
“Likewise, the Holy Prophetsa said:
“‘My advent and the Hour’s are as (close to each other) as these (two fingers i.e. the middle and the index finger.)’ (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab at-talaq)
“Similarly, the sudden decline of a developed nation or the sudden advancement of a defeated nation is also referred to as qiyamah.
“The ahadith containing the mention of the Day of Resurrection forty years after the advent of Hazrat Masihas, i.e. the Messiahas of Muhammadsa, mean that over the last thousand years and especially before the advent of the Promised Messiahas, the state of Islam’s weakness and helplessness was such that the following prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa had been fulfilled word for word:
يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لَا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ إِلَّا اسْمُهُ، وَلَا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَّا رَسْمُهُ، مَسَاجِدُهُمْ عَامِرَةٌ وَهِيَ خَرَابٌ مِنَ الْهُدَى، عُلَمَاؤُهُمْ شَرُّ مَنْ تَحْتَ أَدِيمِ السَّمَاءِ منْ عِنْدَهُمْ تَخْرُجُ الْفِتْنَةُ وَفِيهِمْ تَعُودُ
“‘A time will come in the near future when there will be nothing left of Islam except its name. And there will be nothing left of the Holy Quran except its words. Their mosques will apparently be full of people, but will be empty of righteousness. Their clerics will be the worst creatures under heaven because fitnah will emerge from them and will return to them.’ (Shu‘ab al-Iman by Al-Bayhaqi, Fazl qala: yanbaghi li-talibi l-‘ilmi ’an yakuna ta’allumuhu wa li l-‘alimi ’an yakuna ta‘limuhu li wajhillah, Hadith 1858)
“Eminent Muslim scholars were leaving Islam and adopting Christianity, Islam was being attacked incessantly by every religion and no one was coming forward to respond to those attacks. The most sacred and pure character of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Chief of the Infallible, the Mercy for Mankind, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his noble wives were being openly blasphemed against. At that time, the Messiahas of Muhammadsa, the most ardent devotee of the Holy Prophetsa, appeared in exact accordance with his prophecies and he robustly responded to every attack against Islam, as a result of which every enemy of Islam had to flee. Once again, Allah made Islam triumphant over all other religions by giving it the full glory and splendour it deserved. The Promised Messiahas said in praise of Islam and its Holy Foundersa:
ہر طرف فكر كو دوڑا كے تهكايا ہم نے
كوئی ديں دينِ محمدؐ سا نہ پايا ہم نے
كوئی مذهب نہيں ايسا كہ نشاں دكهلاوے
يہ ثمر باغ محمدؐ سے ہی كهايا ہم نے
ہم نے اسلام كو خود تجربہ كر كے ديكها
نور ہے نور اٹهو ديكهو سنايا ہم نے
اور دينوں كو جو ديكها تو كہيں نور نہ تها
كوئی دكهلائے اگر حق كو چهپايا ہم نے
تهک گئے ہم تو انہی باتوں كو كہتے كہتے
ہر طرف دعوتوں كا تير چلايا ہم نے
آزمائش كے لئے كوئی نہ آيا ہر چند
ہر مخالف كو مقابل پہ بلايا ہم نے
“‘We wearied our mind by searching all around;
No Faith did we find like the Faith of Muhammadsa.
There is no religion that can show such signs,
This fruit we ate only from Muhammad’ssa orchard.
We have experimented with Islam ourselves;
It is light — pure light. Awake and see as we announce.
We looked at other Faiths, there was no light in them;
If we concealed the truth, would someone point it out!
We are tired of saying these things time and again;
We sent our invitations darting in all directions.
No one came to test it — not a soul,
We challenged every adversary to come against us.’
[’A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Tilford: 2021 , p. 224]
“So, this is that qiyamah that took place in favour of Islam and against its opponents through the coming of the Messiahas of Muhammadsa and through the Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah established after him, as a result of which, Islam, the name of the Holy Foundersa of Islam and the true teachings, as presented by him, reached the ends of the world. By Allah’s grace, even today, this spiritual jihad [of peace] is advancing by leaps and bounds, as the land of Islam’s opponents shrinks day by day.
“May Allah guide you, grant you the ability to recognise and accept the path of truth and guidance, and may He always bless you with His bounties. Amin.”
(Compiled by Zaheer Ahmad Khan, Head of Records Department, Private Secretariat, London. Translated by Al Hakam)