A look at the figures of the Jamaat in the time of the Promised Messiahas
An allegation raised by opponents of the Jamaat and Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiahas is that in 1906, two years before his demise, he stated:
“Those who are outside of this Jamaat shall continue to diminish day by day. All the Muslim sects that are outside this Jamaat will decline by the day, and will either enter this Jamaat or become extinct, just as the Jews declined until only a very few are left. The same will be the end of the opponents of this Jamaat.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V, p. 119 [English Translation])
Arguing over this prophecy, opponents allege that the reality is different from what has been foretold by the Promised Messiahas. They claim that the total membership of the Jamaat in the life of the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat was 400,000 and it “declined” to 200,000 in the time of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra. Thus, instead of increasing, the followers of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat decreased, while on the other hand, the followers of other sects increased and even left the Jamaat behind. Therefore, the opponents assert that this prophecy was never fulfilled.
Revisiting history to determine the exact number of followers of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in the era of the second Khalifa, we find that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra was asked by the Court of Inquiry in 1953, “What is the total number of Ahmadis in Pakistan?” and he replied, “It ranges between two to three hundred thousand”. (Tehkikati adalat mein Hazrat Imam Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya ka bayan, Anwarul-Ulum, Vol. 24, p. 369)
Correspondingly, the report of the Court of Inquiry sheds light on the total number of Ahmadis across the globe, as it states:
“The present number of the Jamaat is stated to be in the neigbourhood of 200,000 in Pakistan, Ahmadis are also to be found in other Muslim countries and in India, Europe and America.” (Report of the Court of Inquiry constituted under Punjab Act II of 1954, p. 10)
In the time of the Promised Messiahas, the total number of Ahmadis present in the subcontinent and other countries amounted to 400,000. While considering the above-mentioned references, it is evident that in the era of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, the figure of Ahmadis only in Pakistan ranged between two to three hundred thousand, while countless Ahmadis were present in other Muslim countries, India, Europe and America.
Hence, it becomes vividly clear that the claim of the opponents regarding the decline in the number of Ahmadis from 400,000 in the time of the Promised Messiahas to 200,000 in the era of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra is completely erroneous and a concealment of truth.
By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the seed of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat that was sown across the globe in the era of the second Khilafat has now become a tree laden with fruits with its branches spread in more than 200 countries of the world and the numbers of the passionate followers of the Promised Messiahas are increasing day by day.
In the life of the Promised Messiahas, greater number of Ahmadis were present in the subcontinent and only a handful of Ahmadis were to be found in other countries. Presently, the followers of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat have spread in almost all countries of every continent across the globe. For instance, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Malta, Italy, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Fiji, Mauritius, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Guyana. Ahmadiyya mission houses and mosques are well established in these countries.
Regarding the presence of Ahmadis at Jalsa Salanas in the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada, opponents determine on their own accord that as most of the attendees at these gatherings are Ahmadis of Pakistani and Indian backgrounds, it shows that the Ahmadiyya Jamaat mainly consists of the progenies belonging to Pakistani and Indian Ahmadis.
The fact of the matter is that indeed, a large of number of Pakistani and Indian Ahmadis are settled mainly in the UK, Germany and Canada after seeking asylum from persecution or otherwise, however on the other hand, the majority of Ahmadis in Russian States belong to Russian origin. Similarly, a vast majority of Ahmadis present in the countries of East Africa, West Africa and South Africa – namely Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Ivory Coast and Benin – belong to African origin rather than progenies of Pakistani or Indian Ahmadis. A large number of Ahmadis present in Singapore and Indonesia consist of local residents.
It is indeed true that Pakistani and Indian Ahmadis are found in Arab and Gulf States, but then again, the majority of Ahmadis in many Arab countries belong to Arab origins.
After the demise of the Promised Messiahas, through the blessings of Allah the Almighty, mosques, mission houses and missionaries can be found in all those countries where the Ahmadiyya Jamaat has spread, including those few countries that are mentioned above. These countries hold their own Jalsa Salanas, and to determine this fact, one can watch the recordings and view pictures of these gatherings on MTA and social media.
Allah the Almighty promised to Jesusas in the Holy Quran:
وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُوْكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
“And [I] will place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the day of Resurrection” (Surah Aal-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.56). Most certainly, Allah the Almighty kept His promise that is mentioned in this verse,but the question is, when was it fulfilled?
This promise was fulfilled in the 4th century when the King of Rome, Constantine the Great accepted and declared Christianity as the official religion of the state. Consequently, Christianity began to spread rapidly. Allah the Almighty had surely promised to Jesusas that his followers would prevail over the enemies, but the world witnessed the fulfilment of this promise in the 4th century after Jesus’ demise.
Renouncing Ahmadiyyat, opponents of the Jamaat join the ranks of those Muslims who believe that Jesusas conveyed the message of Allah the Almighty for three years and then he was raised to the Heavens. As the prophecy regarding the followers of Jesusas that they would prevail over other religions came to pass hundreds of years after his demise, the followers of the Promised Messiahas (an embodiment of Jesusas) would certainly prevail over other religions as well. The opponents should at least wait for as long as it took in the fulfillment of the promise to Jesusas.
Allah the Almighty also vouchsafed this prophecy to the Promised Messiahas:
وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُوْكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
“And [I] will place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the day of Resurrection”. [Al Hakam, 5 May 1899, p. 2]
Hence, the Promised Messiahas stated:
“All our opponents who live today shall die and none of them shall ever see Jesus son of Mary descending from the Heavens; then their children that are left after them shall also die and none from among them shall ever see Jesus son of Mary descending from heaven and then their third generation shall also die and they too shall not see the son of Mary descending from the heaven. Then God shall cause great consternation in their hearts, that a period of Christian domination has passed and the world has witnessed a great change, yet the son of Mary has not descended from the Heavens. Then, in dismay, the wise among them shall forsake this belief and three centuries from now shall not have passed when those who await the second coming of Jesus son of Mary, whether they be Muslims or Christians, shall abandon this concept altogether. Then shall prevail only one religion over the whole world and there shall be only one religious leader. I came only to sow the seed, which has been planted by my hand. It shall now grow and flourish and there is none who can hinder its growth.” (Tadhkiratush-Shahadatain, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 20, p. 67)
The Promised Messiahas states regarding one of his revelations:
“The verse:
وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُوْكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
“And will place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the day of Resurrection” (Surah Aal-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.56), has been revealed to me repeatedly – so many times that God alone knows the count – and with such emphasis that it has penetrated my heart like a steel nail. This indicates that God Almighty will greatly bless all those friends who follow my way and will grant them victory over those who follow other ways and this superiority shall be maintained till the Day of Judgment. No one will come after my humble self who will be opposed to my way. God Almighty will destroy anyone who opposes my way and his way will not endure. This is a promise by God, the contrary of which will never happen.” (Tadhkirah, pp. 76-77 [English rendering])
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra states:
“Behold! despite the fact that more than 1300 years have passed over Islam till this day, other people exceed in number over those who call themselves Muslims … Although the Holy Prophetsa was sent for the entire world and 1300 years have passed over it, the number of non-believers is twice as much as compared to those who believed him. In that case, if Muhammadsa, given the extended period of time, was not able to expand the number of his followers to surpass the number of non-believers and this causes no effect on his truth, then how could it be said of the one who has been appointed by God in this age while he is one of his [the Holy Prophet’ssa] servants, and he has not claimed any superiority over him, that his followers would seemingly prevail at once. Perceive what happened to Jesusas of Nazareth – was he able to witness in his own life that his followers triumphed over their enemies? Certainly not because Christians prevailed hundreds of years after his demise and enemies dominated them for almost 200 years. Thus, how does the demise of the Promised Messiahas give any right to the opponents to raise an allegation that his Jamaat must prevail over the entire world right away. The condition of our Jamaat after the demise of the Promised Messiahas resembled that of the followers of Jesusas after his demise or (as our opponents put it) at the time when Jesusas was ‘raised to the heavens’. So, at that point in time, if the declaration was true:
فَوْقَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا
‘above those who disbelieve’, then what is the reason for the Maulvis of today to create an uproar that Ahmadis have not seemingly prevailed over their opponents. If the first Messiah, owing to a lack of apparent domination,was not considered a false claimant, then how has the second Messiah been considered false? If there is no objection raised against the truth of Mosesas for the reason that he passed away in a jungle even though he was promised rulership while his people wandered in deserts for 40 years, enemies continued to rule over his people and Mosesas sat and watched whilst sitting on a mountain, knowing that the enemy was ruling and passed away in this state, then what is the reason of raising this allegation that the Promised Messiahas was a false claimant due to not being able to witness his followers prevail over their enemies. If Mosesas, Jesusas and the Holy Prophetsa are not considered false claimants in the same manner, then why is Hazrat Mirza Sahibas considered a false claimant in this manner?” (Qaul-ul-Haq, Anwarul-Ulum, Vol. 8, pp. 51-52)
(Research conducted by a panel of scholars at the Research Cell, Rabwah. Translated by Al Hakam)