A series looking into the allegations raised against Hazrat Ahmad’sas personality, writings, revelations, and prophecies, along with the answers he has provided
Awwab Saad Hayat, Al Hakam
With regards to the prophets of Allah, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa says:
الْأَنْبِيَاءُ إِخْوَةٌ مِنْ عَلَّاتٍ، وَأُمَّهَاتُهُمْ شَتَّى، وَدِينُهُمْ وَاحِدٌ
“Prophets are brothers in faith, despite having different mothers, as their religion is one.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-fada’il, Hadith 2365c)
That is, the mutual connection and bond of these prophets is akin to that of children and brothers, even though their mothers are different; however, they share the same faith. These prophets receive light, guidance, and assistance from the same source: Allah the Almighty.
Likewise, there is a hadith concerning the righteous souls that believe in the prophets:
الأَرْوَاحُ جُنُودٌ مُجَنَّدَةٌ
“Souls are like recruited troops.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab ahadithi l-anbiya’, Hadith 3336) This hadith was narrated by Hazrat Aishara.
If we examine the same mutual connection, it becomes evident that those who oppose the paths shown by Allah the Almighty, those who inflict unjust suffering upon the prophets and their followers, and those who aim to eradicate these religions at their core share a common perspective. The Holy Quran states:
کَذٰلِکَ قَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ مِّثۡلَ قَوۡلِہِمۡ ؕ تَشَابَہَتۡ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ
“Likewise said those before them similar to their saying. Their hearts are alike.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.119)
It has been over a century since the inception of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian declared himself to be the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi after being told so by Allah the Almighty.
Upon witnessing the claims and mission of the Promised Messiahas, Hindus, Aryas, Christians, and even some Muslims became actively engaged in opposing him. They began raising various objections, questions, and ridicule. They objected to the writings, prophecies, and revelations of the Promised Messiahas, as well as his family. These actions involved disrespect, vile accusations, and the dissemination of disrespectful remarks.
The Promised Messiahas and his Companionsra refuted all the questions raised, provided answers and supported their points with references on every matter, and clarified the truth.
However, today, more than 100 years later, it is evident that the opponents have not changed their approach. Selecting a word or phrase from the writings of the Promised Messiahas out of context and using it to create a tweet as an objection, then mocking it during a live stream, appears rather peculiar. Is it not ironic that the interpretation and explanation of the seemingly objectionable matter – which they take out of context – can often be found within the works of the Promised Messiahas himself, either within the same work or in another place?
It is now evident that individuals on the internet who claim to be religious scholars in the present era, and who are profiting from it, are neither honest nor genuine academics.
In today’s era, if a person reads a book by Hazrat Ahmadas and encounters an objection, reading the entire book should resolve the objection. Allegations often arise when matters are taken out of context or not understood in their actual place. This applies to all theological books. It is academic dishonesty to simply read a single line and raise an objection when one has not even read the entire page, let alone the chapter or the entire book.
It appears that this era’s objectors themselves do not read a single page of the books of the Promised Messiahas. Instead, they simply come before an audience with items or notes made by their older generation. In British India, some so-called religious scholars used to accept a big chunk of agricultural land from the English government in exchange for a favour, or an unspecified service. It seems that even today, such people still exist who have now turned the internet into their cheapest source of income.
Thus, in light of this, Allah the Almighty states in Surah al-Waqi‘ah:
وَتَجْعَلُونَ رِزْقَكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ تُكَذِّبُونَ
“And do you make the denial thereof your [means of] livelihood?” (Surah al-Waqi‘ah, Ch.56: V.83)
Postponement and fulfilment in Divine Will
As an example, below we shall share some of the revelations of the Promised Messiahas that some objectors object to due to their ignorance, wickedness, or lack of knowledge, and Hazrat Ahmadas himself provided answers to them.
In this modern age, conducting research from the comfort of one’s chair has become effortless. If an adversary of the Jamaat, without conducting sincere research, merely reiterates a commonly voiced objection and shares it amongst individuals, he knowingly misguides well-intentioned souls.
For example, on 9 February 1903, among the many revelations that came to Hazrat Ahmadas, one of the phrases was:
اُخُطِيْ وَ اَصِيْبُ
This revelation was first published in Al Badr, on 13 February 1903, and in Al Hakam on 6-14 February 1903.
While explaining this revelation, the Promised Messiahas writes that in this revelation, Allah the Almighty states:
“I […] will postpone or cancel My decree at certain times and will fulfil it at other times.” (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation [Haqiqatul Wahi], pp. 123-124)
In this way, as the person to whom these words were revealed has explained the revelation, we know the meaning and significance, and how the matter concerning God Almighty, that sometimes He leaves His intention unfulfilled and sometimes He carries it out, can be observed in practice in the world. It is evident in many instances. For example, when the men and women of a nation continuously engage in evil deeds and deserve severe punishment, but due to the repentance and reformation of some individuals from that nation, God Almighty changes His intention to punish the entire nation. One needs only to consider the people of Jonahas.
Further, Ahmadas explained:
“The words of this divine revelation literally mean that I will sometimes miss and at other times I will do as intended; meaning that sometimes I will do as I wish and at other times I will not. And sometimes my intent would be implemented, and other times not. Such words do occur in the discourse of God Almighty as is reported in ahadith [that Allah the Almighty says]: ‘I hesitate to take the soul of a believer’; whereas Allah is free from hesitation. This divine revelation that ‘Sometimes My intent misses and at others not’ has a similar import. It means that sometimes I cancel My decree and intention, while at others that intent is fulfilled as I had desired.” (Ibid.)
Now, as the one who received this revelation himself is explaining and interpreting the words and meaning of this revelation, the need for interpretations and criticisms by other individuals, especially opponents and enemies, diminishes. It is an accepted fact that when an author uses a specific word in one of his writings and later explains or interprets that word, phrase, or idiom in another context, no critic has the right to question it.
The hadith mentioned by the Promised Messiahas is also provided below. It can be found in Sahih al-Bukhari:
وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ أَنَا فَاعِلُهُ تَرَدُّدِي عَنْ نَفْسِ الْمُؤْمِنِ
Meaning that Allah says that He has never hesitated as much about anything as He does at the time of seizing the soul of a believer. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-riqaq, Hadith 6502)
It is commonly understood that hesitating to do or not to do something, being in doubt, or being indecisive, is a human trait. However, when such words are attributed to God Almighty, their meaning will be entirely different, and these words should not be interpreted based on human conditions and knowledge. As mentioned earlier, these words are inspired, and it is further supported by the fact that the Promised Messiahas has explained and interpreted the words of this revelation in two places. Despite this, persistently objecting to God’s word with limited human knowledge and reason is the approach of adversaries, while righteous individuals do not hold such an attitude.