Highlighting the accusation raised against the marriage of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with Hazrat Aishara (who was still very young), and considering it an allegation against Islam, opponents of the Jamaat object that the Promised Messiahas made the issue of Hazrat Aisha’sra marriage more contentious when he gave his daughter’s hand, Mubarakara, in marriage when she was not even 11, to a man who was 40 years of age, with the condition that they will join in marriage after a year.
As has been mentioned repeatedly, objections raised against the prophets of God are mostly the same. This too becomes a proof of their truthfulness. Let’s take a look at the allegation at hand. The opponents have questioned the Promised Messiahas for getting his daughter married at an early age, and by doing so, they have supported the viewpoint of Fateh Masih, a priest, and the Arya Samajists, who levelled similar accusations against the Holy Prophetsa.
Otherwise, every wise person can understand that a purely personal issue of marriage of a young person cannot be considered an allegation against the religion of Islam. It does not behove a Muslim to object to a marriage that took place with the consent of both the father and the daughter, while the Shariah permits it as well.
Moreover, it is in accordance with the practice of Umm-ul-Momineen, Hazrat Aishara and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa. Furthermore, the couple, by living an ideal life, proved this marriage to be a most successful one and made it clear that God’s will was behind it.
Similar absurd objections were made by enemies of Islam at the time of the Holy Prophetsa. In response to those accusations, the Promised Messiahas expressed his love for his master and addressed every aspect of the accusation. He explained that firstly, the hadith which narrates the age of Hazrat Aishara as nine when she was married to the Holy Prophetsa is doubtful, and even if it is true, it is not at all objectionable as some girls attain maturity by that age.
The Promised Messiahas states:
“First of all, the reference of nine years old is not proven through the words of the Holy Prophetsa. Neither was there any revelation about it, nor did a series of traditions establish that [Hazrat Aishara] was certainly nine years old [at the time of her marriage]. Only one narrator relates it. The Arabs were not used to keeping past years’ almanac because they were ignorant. So, taking their condition into account, a mistake of two to three years was an ordinary thing for them. As in our country, too often, illiterate people cannot keep the gap of two to four years in mind. On the other hand, even if we are to assume that [someone] kept day to day record which determines that [Hazrat Aishara] was exactly nine years of age, then still no wise person would object to it … Research doctors agree that girls can become adults even at the age of nine.” (Nurul-Quran Part II, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 9, pp. 377-378)
In response to this strong defence by the Promised Messiahas, the opponents were rendered speechless. But if the accuser is still not satisfied by this reply, then he should address the issue of Hazrat Aisha’sra age in a more satisfactory way. Instead of commending the effective defence of the Promised Messiahas, opponents, due to their enmity with the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, similar to the approach of the Christian clergy and Arya Samajists, have raised an allegation against him; that he married his 12-year-old daughter to a 40-year-old man.
In doing so, they do not even think for a second about what this objection would lead to, because the Holy Prophetsa was 55 at the time of his marriage with Hazrat Aishara, and when Hazrat Safiyara was married to the Holy Prophetsa, she was about sixteen and he was 59.
The opponents raise another objection against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, saying that it is insignificant in the world and it is in fact a weak Jamaat. Adversaries assert that certain people might say that the Jamaat has filled the whole world with mosques and television channels, but no one in the UK or outside of it recognises the name of this Jamaat.
Opponents have provided another proof for the truth of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya with this objection because the Holy Quran shows that divine communities have always been criticised for being weak, inferior and insignificant.
Prophet Noahas was ridiculed in the same way, as it is stated in the Holy Quran:
قَالُوۡۤا اَنُؤۡمِنُ لَکَ وَ اتَّبَعَکَ الۡاَرۡذَلُوۡنَ
“They said, ‘Shall we believe thee, when it is the meanest that follow thee?’” (Surah al-Shu‘ara, Ch.26: V.112)
Prophet Mosesas was also mocked on similar grounds and the statement of his opponents is recorded in the Holy Quran as:
اِنَّ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ لَشِرۡ ذِمَۃٌ قَلِیۡلُوۡنَ
“These are a small party.” (Surah al-Shu‘ara, Ch.26: V.55)
The Holy Quran also shows that the believers are always fewer in numbers, as it states:
فَقَلِیۡلًا مَّا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ
“Little is that which they believe”(Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.89) and at another place,
Allah Almighty states:
بَلۡ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ
“Nay, most of them have no faith”(Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.101).
These verses signify that the majority do not truly believe. It is also evident from Sahih [authentic] ahadith that certain prophets were only accepted by one person and it had no effect on their prophethood. In some cases, nobody believed in the prophet but these insignificant numbers did not take away from their truthfulness, as it is stated in a hadith:
“One day, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came out to us [companions] and said, ‘Some nations were shown to me. A prophet passed in front of me accompanied with one man, another prophet passed having two men with him, another prophet passed with a group of people, and another prophet passed with nobody accompanying him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Medicine)
Explaining the matter under discussion, the Promised Messiahas states:
“As for the point that many have not yet believed, this cannot be a proof that the claim remains unsubstantiated. If one who has been ordained by God possesses arguments and signs, his claim cannot become weak by someone not believing in him. Besides, one needs to consider that the people who accepted the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with a sincere heart by the time of his demise numbered no more than 150,000. Would their small number render doubtful the prophethood of the Holy Prophetsa?
“The fact of the matter is that the prerequisite for the truth of a true prophet is not that the majority should accept him. The prerequisite, indeed, is the incontrovertible evidence by irrefutable arguments.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V, pp. 480-481)
Another point worth considering is that if Ahmadiyyat is so insignificant and it is not progressing in the world, then the question arises as to why there is so much opposition against this particular Jamaat? Opposition against anyone or anything always results from jealousy and jealousy pervades a person when they look at the advancement of something. There is no jealousy in the heart of anyone for someone whose business is destroyed.
The strong opposition of Ahmadiyyat by the opponents and their efforts, day and night, forcing people to abandon the Jamaat or to at least dissuade from it, shows that their hearts accept that Allah the Almighty is spreading and increasing Islam Ahmadiyyat. Noble souls in every place of the earth are turning towards Ahmadiyyat according to the statement of the Holy Quran:
ھُدًی لِّلْمُتَّقِیْنَ
This progress had created jealousy in the hearts of our opponents, and their envy is forcing them to lie, deceive, criticise and raise objections and to use various countertactics against the Jamaat. The Holy Quran has explained this matter in the following verse:
وَدَّ کَثِیۡرٌ مِّنۡ اَہۡلِ الۡکِتٰبِ لَوۡ یَرُدُّوۡنَکُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اِیۡمَانِکُمۡ کُفَّارًا ۚۖ حَسَدًا مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا تَبَیَّنَ لَہُمُ الۡحَقُّ
“Many of the People of the Book wish, out of sheer envy from their own selves, that after you have believed, they could turn you again into disbelievers after the truth has become manifest to them.”(Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.110)
According to the Holy Quran, the Holy Prophetsa was sent for the entire world. Allah Almighty states:
وَ مَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنٰکَ اِلَّا کَآفَّۃً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِیۡرًا وَّ نَذِیۡرًا
“And We have not sent thee but as a Bearer of glad tidings and a Warner for all mankind” (Surah Saba, Ch.34: V.29).
It is stated at another place in the Holy Quran:
قُلۡ یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اِنِّیۡ رَسُوۡلُ اللّٰہِ اِلَیۡکُمۡ جَمِیۡعَۨا
“Say, ‘O mankind! truly I am a Messenger to you all’”(Surah al-Araf, Ch.7: V.159).
However, Islam did not spread across the globe in the time of the Holy Prophetsa.
Hence, while most parts of the world were not yet discovered, like the United States, Australia and most of the islands, where was Islam? Was it in Russia, China and Japan? God forbid, even Islam is subjected to criticism because of this objection and is proved wrong as it is still not a majority in comparison to Christianity.
The Ahmadiyya Jamaat has never claimed that they have the majority in the world. Every year, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih presents the annual report of the Jamaat’s progress and efforts on the occasion of Jalsa Salana UK.
Accordingly, below is a brief outline of the Jamaat’s progress report by August 2019:
1 – Ahmadiyyat has been established in 213 countries
2 – 849 new Jamaats were formed worldwide
3 – 355 new mosques were built. 216 of these were pre-existing mosques and have now come into the custody of the Jamaat, whereas 139 were constructed afresh
4 – 349 mission houses were established
5 – 331,810 books were printed by Raqeem Press in the UK alone
6 – 16,257,000 leaflets were distributed worldwide
7 – 668,527 people took the Bai‘at and entered the fold of Ahmadiyyat in Islam. These new converts belonged to 120 countries and represented 300 nationalities
8 – 560 million radio programmes were conducted in Africa alone
9 – Under the Nusrat Jehan Scheme, there are now 685 schools in 12 countries
10 – 14,723 free operations were conducted by Humanity First
Similarly, while serving humanity in Africa through free hospitals, homeopathic dispensaries, colleges, schools, water taps, wells and providing free food in famine areas, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya is spreading Islam as well.
In this regard, in order to serve humanity, a humanitarian organisation by the name of the Humanity First has been registered in 49 countries of the world under UNO for the last 22 years. All praise belongs to Allah!