Raziullah Noman, Canada
Sadly, there are many false allegations which the Muslim scholars spread about Islam Ahmadiyyat. Without any academic honesty, they continue to misquote our literature and attempt to misguide the general public. Some go to the extent of saying that we do not believe in the five pillars of Islam, nor the six articles of faith.
In this article, I will let one of their most famous Sunni muhadith, Shaikh al-Albani answer these allegations.
Shaikh Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani was a famous Albanian Islamic scholar and a watchmaker by profession. He is a famous Salafi hadith scholar who worked on grading ahadith throughout his life. He is recognised as the most accredited non-Ahmadi scholar for ahadith in our era and is the main scholar used for grading the ahadith by the Salafi Muslims. Even those who are not from the Salafi sect use his works when it comes to grading the ahadith.
He knew many Ahmadi Muslims, especially in Damascus, and would often have discussions with them. Our beloved Imam, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa mentioned an incident of the respected late Nadir al-Husni Sahib from Syria, with Shaikh al-Albani. Speaking about the late Nadir al-Husni Sahib, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa – quoting Nasir al-Husni Sahib’s nephew – said:
“He had a very close bond with Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahibra. The deceased translated a book of Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahibra into Arabic. He had a strong connection with the Jamaat. He would not tolerate any inappropriate comments towards the Promised Messiahas or the Khulafa.
“On one occasion, he went with his two brothers to offer condolences for a non-Ahmadi. A prominent Syrian scholar, Shaikh al-Albani was also present there accompanied by many of his students, who were aware that Nadir al-Husni Sahib and his brothers were Ahmadi. They began to discuss the points of contention between Ahmadis and other clerics. When one of them began to use profane language about the Promised Messiahas, my uncle, the late Nadir al-Husni, became enraged; he stood up and said: ‘If any one of you has the courage, they should enter into a debate with me’, even though there was only three of them [Ahmadis], whereas Shaikh al-Albani Sahib was accompanied by more than 15 people. No one from among them had the courage to enter into a debate with him. On the contrary, they began to quarrel and tried to attack the three of them. However, other people who had come to offer their condolences intervened and stopped them.” (Friday Sermon, 28 December 2018)
Through the words of Shaikh al-Albani, we will see the false allegations of the anti-Ahmadi scholars answered. The audios of all of these answers are also available. This is not to say that al-Albani has always spoken the truth about the Jamaat. However, he has corrected many misconceptions the Muslim scholars spread about us.
Allegation 1: The name “Ghulam Ahmad” is shirk
Some of the non-Ahmadi Muslims raise the allegation that the name “Ghulam Ahmad” [the slave of Ahmad, i.e. the Holy Prophetsa] is shirk, because we can only call ourselves the slaves of Allah. Shaikh al-Albani states:
لا فـغلام أحمد … أسلوب باللغة الهندية تفسيره خادم أحمد، فهو ليس أحمد، وإنما هو خادم أحمد؛ والمقصود بأحمد هو نبينا عليه الصلاة والسلام؛ والأعاجم لهم مثل هذه النسبات افتخارا بانتسابهم للرسول عليه السلام
“No. ‘Ghulam Ahmad’ […] is a way of naming in the Hindi language and the meaning is the servant of Ahmad. He is not Ahmad; rather, he is the servant of Ahmad. And the purpose of Ahmad here is our Prophetsa; and the non-Arabs have such genealogies showing that they are proud of their affiliation with the Messengersa.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 198)
Allegation 2: The book of Ahmadi Muslims is different from the Holy Quran
One allegation raised by the opponents of Islam Ahmadiyyat is that our book is other than the Quran. The Salafi scholars often say that we have a book called “Kitab-ul-Mubeen”, something we Ahmadi Muslims have never heard of! Responding to this, Shaikh al-Albani said:
هل (الأحمدية) ينكرون القرآن وينكرون السورة؟ لا
“Do the Ahmadiyya reject the Quran or any of the surahs? No!” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lil-Shaikh, Episode no. 91)
Allegation 3: Ahmadi Muslims reject the articles of faith and the Kalima
One allegation presented by non-Ahmadi Muslims is that Ahmadi Muslims reject the articles of faith and the pillars of Islam. Shaikh al-Albani states:
هل تظنون أن الطائفة القاديانية هم لا يقولون لا إله إلا الله محمدا رسول الله لا يصلون لا يصومون لا يحجون؟ لا! هُم معنا في هذا كله
“Do you think that the group al-Qadiyaniyya do not say, ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’; they don’t pray; they don’t fast and don’t perform the pilgrimage? No! They are with us on all of this.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 742)
طائفة القاديانية يؤمنون بما نؤمن نحن به من الأركان الإسلامية الخمسة، أولها شهادة أن لا إله إلا اللّٰه وأن محمدا رسول اللّٰه
“The group al-Qadiyaniyya believe in what we believe from the five pillars of Islam and the first of them is to bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 486)
Allegation 4: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib[as] was not knowledgeable and had no knowledge of Arabic
Some ignorant Muslims of today raise the allegation that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was not knowledgeable. They say he did not know the Quran, ahadith or the Shariah. Responding to why Muslims accepted Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and rejected false claimants of the Imam Mahdi, Shaikh al-Albani explained:
تعرف المهدي اللذي اسمه ميرزا أحمد القادياني تبع الهند هذا رجل عارف … بالعلم تماما، لكن هؤلاء (أدعياء المهدوية) مساكين جهال ما بعرفوا شيء من الشريعة ولا بعرفوا قراءة قرآن ما بعرفوا لغة ولا بعرفوا شيء
“You know the Mahdi whose name was Mirza Ahmad al-Qadiani, who is followed in India. That man was knowledgeable […] With complete knowledge. However, the other claimants were poor and ignorant and they did not know anything of the Shariah or the qira‘ah of the Quran. They did not know the language [Arabic], nor did they know anything else.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 028)
Allegation 5: Ahmadi Muslims do not believe in the finality of prophethood (khatm-e-nabuwat)
Another allegation against Ahmadi Muslims is that they reject the finality of prophethood. Shaikh al-Albani explains that Ahmadi Muslims believe in Prophet Muhammadsa as the Seal of Prophets, but give a different interpretation. Shaikh al-Albani states:
هم لا ينكرون أنه خاتم النبيين
“They [Ahmadi Muslims] do not reject that he [Prophet Muhammadsa] was the Seal of Prophets.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 198)
هل أنكروا قوله تعالى ولكن رسول اللّٰه وخاتم النبيين؟ لا . لأنه أي مسلم إذا أنكر آية من القرآن كفر باللّٰه ورسوله
“Do they reject the statement of Allah, ‘Rather, he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of all Prophets’? No. Because any Muslim who rejects a verse of the Quran, rejects Allah and His messenger.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 486)
He said:
(الأحمدية) ما أنكروا الآية، آمنوا معنا بالآية ولكن تأولوها
“Ahmadiyya do not reject the verses. They believe in the verses like us but they interpret them.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 486)
At another occasion he said:
لم يكفر هؤلاء القاديانيون بقوله تعالى:وَلَكِنْ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ ۔ الأحزاب: 04۔ بل آمنوا بالآية كما نؤمن، كذلك لم ينكروا قول النبي ﷺ ما جاء في الصحيحين عن النبي ﷺ
“The al-Qadiyaniyyah do not reject the statement of the Allah, ‘Rather he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of all Prophets’ (Surah al-Ahzab, verse 40); rather, they believe in the verses as we believe. Just like this, they do not deny the statement of the Holy Prophetsa which comes in the authentic narrations.” (Mu‘assisah al-Albani fi al-Aqidah, Vol. 1, p. 257)
Allegation 6: Ahmadi Muslims perform Hajj in Qadian
A widespread allegation against the Jamaat is that we perform Hajj in Qadian. Shaikh al-Albani taught his followers:
… القاديانية … هؤلاء مسلمون يصلون الصلوات الخمسة ويحجّون إلى بيت الله الحرام
“The Qadianiyyah […] they are Muslims, they pray the five daily prayers and perform Hajj in Baitullah al-Haram.” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lil-Shaikh, Episode no. 91)
Allegation 7: Ahmadi Muslims reject some verses of the Holy Quran
هؤلاء القاديانيون لا تظنوا أنهم ينكرون شيئا من أركان الإيمان أو شيئا من أركان الإسلام، لا، هم يؤمنون معنا في كل هذه الأركان، فهم يصلّون ويصومون ويحجّون وأسماؤهم أسماء إسلامية تماما
“They are the Qadianis. Do not think that they reject anything from the pillars of faith or anything from the pillars of Islam. No! They believe in everything from these pillars like we believe. They pray, they fast, they perform Hajj and they name themselves with Islamic names.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 705)
Allegation 8: Ahmadis are not a part of the 73 sects of Islam
Some raise the allegation that Ahmadi Muslims are not among the 73 sects of Islam. Shaikh al-Albani said:
بل هؤلاء (القاديانية) هم من الفرق التي جاء الإشارة إليها في قوله عليه الصلاة والسلام (وستفترق أمتي على ثلاث وسبعين فرقة كلها في النار إلا واحدة)
“Nay, they (al-Qadiyaniyyah) are from the sects which are pointed to in the statement of the Holy Prophetsa that ‘my ummah will split into 73 sects and all of them will be in the fire except one.’” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 705)
Allegation 9: Ahmadi Muslims reject some of the Quran
Some anti-Ahmadis claim that Ahmadi Muslims reject some verses of the Quran and only believe in some of the Quran. Shaikh al-Albani raised the allegation that we believe in the words of the Quran but not the actual meaning, an allegation every sect raises against the other. However, he was forced to accept that we believe in all of the Quran. Shaikh al-Albani said:
… القاديانية … يؤمنون بكل الكتاب
“The Qadianis […] they believe in the entire book [the Holy Quran] […]” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 705)
He also said:
هل (الأحمدية) ينكرون القرآن وينكرون السورة؟ لا
“Do they [Ahmadiyya] reject the Quran and reject the Surahs? No. Do the Ahmadiyya reject the Quran or any of the Surahs? No!” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lil-Shaikh, Episode no. 91)
Shaikh al-Albani has many different answers regarding Ahmadis. On one occasion he accepted that we are Muslims and also said that Muslims cannot do takfir of Ahmadis because one should judge by the apparent, and that Ahmadi Muslims recite the Kalima.
He said:
هؤلاء مسلمون يصلون الصلوات الخمس ويحجّون إلى بيت الله الحرام
“They are Muslims, they pray the five daily prayers and perform Hajj to Baitullah al-Haram” ” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lil-Shaikh, Episode no. 91)
He also said:
لا ، نحن لنا ظاهرهم، يشهدون بلا إله إلا اللّٰه، محمداً رسول اللّٰه؛ أما حسابهم عند اللّٰه
“No [we cannot do their takfir]. It is upon us to judge by their appearance, and they testify that there is no worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. As for their end, that is with Allah.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 206)
Ustadh Faris Ali Abd al-Wahid compiled many of these references in the Arabic language. I have personally heard all of these audios myself as well and they are available online.