M Adam Ahmad, Al Hakam
“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognise them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father [God] in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:16-23)
Referring to the above verses of the Bible, Christian opponents of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, submit that the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat is a false prophet.
As mentioned in the first article of this series, opponents present only one side of the picture and most probably, deliberately hide several references of the Bible which simply dismiss all the allegations raised against the Promised Messiahas.
Before presenting other references of the Bible which substantiate the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas in this matter, let us look into the verses given at the outset.
Jesusas has clearly elaborated the characteristics of the false prophets in the above saying and delineated:
1. They will bear bad fruits
2. They will be those who call Jesus their Lord
3. They will do everything in the name of Jesus
None of the above traits are found in the Promised Messiahas. In fact, on the contrary, the Promised Messiahas bore good fruits; he never called Jesus his Lord and did everything in the name of Allah the Almighty.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“Those who have rejected me, or are eager to reject me, are destined to be humiliated and brought low. They do not reflect that if all this had been human imposture, I would have been ruined long ago, for God Almighty has such enmity with an impostor as He has not with anyone else in the world. They do not consider how a liar could possess such steadfastness and courage. They do not realise that only he can speak so splendidly and majestically who enjoys the support of the unseen and only such a one can have the courage to stand up alone against the whole world. Be on the lookout, for the days are coming, indeed they are near, when the enemy will be disgraced and friends will be most cheerful.” (Aina Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp. 349-350; The Review of Religions, 26 May 2020)
Hence, applying the said prophecy of Jesusas regarding false prophets, on the Promised Messiahas is utter cruelty and fabrication.
Now to bring the flip side of the coin to light, we will present some references from the Bible which further explain the fate of false prophets.
The Bible says:
“Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered.” (Acts 5:36-37)
The Promised Messiahas said:
“How can a false claimant of prophethood be likened to me? I have been supported by numerous miracles. […] My success is from God and is a fulfilment of His promises. It is not within the control of any human being. God has filled the towns and cities of India and the Punjab with members of my community. In the space of a few short years, over 100,000 people have pledged their allegiance to me. Do you still not realise whom the Heavens support?” (A Gift for An-Nadwah, pp. 23-26)
Then, there are several references of the Bible which clearly state that false prophets who lie in the name of God are annihilated and killed. Below are some examples from Bible in this regard:
“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my [God’s] name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:20)
“‘The [false] prophets are prophesying lies in My [God’s] name,’ replied the Lord. ‘I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them.’ […] Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who prophesy in My (God’s) name: I did not send them, yet they [false prophets] say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!” (Jeremiah 14:14-15)
“The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray shall be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. […] They try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live.” (Deuteronomy 13:5)
“I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel’s record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down.” (Ezekiel 13:9-11)
The Promised Messiahas said:
“It is the eternal practice of God that a false prophet who lies against God – who is not from God, but dares to forge things from himself – never prospers. God destroys such an audacious person who says that He is from God while God knows full well that he is not from Him. All his machinations are shattered, all of his followers are disbanded, and his future is worse than his past because he told a lie against God and brazenly maligned God. God does not give him the honour that is given to the righteous, and neither does He grant him the acceptance and stability, which is reserved for the true prophets.” (A Gift for the Queen, p. 4)
On the other hand, regarding the prophets of God Almighty in Bible, St Paul says:
“Let them [who claim they are sent from God] go! For if their purpose or endeavour is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38)
The Bible also says:
“But Jesus replied, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father [God] has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.’” (Matthew 15:13)
It is for this reason, the Promised Messiahas said:
یہ اگر انساں كا ہوتا كاروبار اے ناقصاں!
ایسے كاذب كیلئے كافى تھا وہ پروردگار
كچھ نہ تھى حاجت تمہارى نَے تمہارے مكر كى
خود مجھے نابود كرتا وہ جہاں كا شہریار
“Had this been the work of man, O weak of faith! God would have been sufficient to deal with such a liar. There was no need for you nor for your machinations; The Sovereign of the world would have destroyed me Himself.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V [English translation], p. 174)
Hence, rather than being “pulled up by its roots” the Promised Messiahas and his Jamaat flourished within his very life. Now, the Promised Messiah’ssa mission and his followers are prospering in every corner of the world in accordance with his prophecies. The opponents should mull over this fact and reconsider their points of view.