English translation of Inqilab-e-Haqiqi
An address by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Khalifatul Masih II, al-Musleh al-Mau‘ud
Delivered at Jalsa Salana Qadian on 28 December 1937
The Implementation of a Perfect System
As I said, it is because no system can be implemented unless it is supported by a perfect organisational structure where there is no room for refusal. However, our Jama’at has focused largely on refining our beliefs, [the spiritual] efforts of the individual and collecting alms. But individual efforts alone cannot constitute a perfect system for the following reasons:
1. Most people are often unaware of the subtleties of sharia law; therefore, their efforts are not without flaws. They cannot establish the law because they remain uncertain of a number of issues. [If it were left to them] they would establish only ten out of a hundred issues and ignore the remaining ninety.
2. Many of those who are learned in the law are lax in its practice and need to be motivated, encouraged and to a certain extent compelled to act in accordance with it. The Community has to constantly remind them that if they wish to remain part of it, they have to participate in its affairs or distance themselves from it.
3. Those who do not follow the law as a result of their ignorance or negligence adversely affect others. Their actions are often mistakenly understood to be part of the religion. For instance, [one may hold up the example of] a successful merchant who is lax about a certain aspect of his faith and praise him by saying that nobody who has been so prosperous can be unmindful towards their faith. In this way, his wrongdoing is mistaken as part of the religion. It is entirely possible, however, that a person can be a successful trader or a wealthy individual and at the same time be ignorant of their faith. Similarly, a person who is materially underprivileged may be well acquainted with the issues of the sharia law. Thus the conduct of such people often proves harmful for others and their actions are mistaken for the [true form of] religion. Many a time people argue that certain individuals do not follow a certain religious instruction, therefore why should they have to? The imitation of such prominent individuals ruins the faith of many who follow them.
4. Many people are aware of the law and desire to act in accordance with it, but cannot fully do so until a complete system is established because certain parts of the law can only be practised in pairs [or collectively]. If one of them refuses to act on them, the other cannot either. As I mentioned earlier, congregational prayer is observed by at least two people. Even if one of them wishes to offer congregational prayer, without a second person it cannot be offered. A similar example is that of a person who needs to take a loan. If someone takes a loan from another Muslim and both of them agree on the principle that giving and receiving interest is un-Islamic, they will avoid having to deal with it. If, however, the lender [is not a Muslim] and lends a hundred or two hundred rupees with an interest rate of four annas per hundred rupees, the borrower will be obligated to pay interest on the loan. Again, for instance, consider the laws of inheritance. A father in Punjab may wish to distribute his inheritance amongst his heirs in accordance with Islamic hereditary laws. However, his son might immediately object to it and refuse to allow it. Or his wife may oppose it, wishing for the inheritance to be divided according to local customs [which favour male heirs over female ones]. As a result of this, he is unable to follow the Islamic principle as the law supports the opposing parties. Similarly, many political laws require the establishment of an administrative system; otherwise, they cannot be implemented. Under sharia law, market prices have to be regulated in a specific manner. Without an organised system, how can an individual enact such a law? Therefore, unless there is an organised system that can obligate both parties to act in a certain way, an individual – no matter how wise or willing – cannot enforce these directives alone.
5. Another challenge faced by a new Jama’at is that the companions of the prophet are the only ones who can continue to spread his teachings. If these teachings are not put into practice during their time, then there remains no possible way [in the future], and people might say that if the companions, who were such esteemed individuals, did not establish this system, then why should we?
6. Until a new system is established, the old one will remain. Until the benefits of the new system are shown, people cannot be expected to discard the former. Unless the advantages of the new system are made apparent to them, they will continue to conform to the existing order. Moreover, the danger exists that until a system of administration is fully established, members of the new Jama’at will revert to their old practices. Without the establishment of an administration, the goals of a divine community cannot be fulfilled and the desired revolution cannot be realised.
Our Role in the True Revolution
Thus, since the Promised Messiahas has come to initiate a revolution – to abolish the existing order and establish a new system in its place to such a degree that it can be said that a new heaven and a new earth have been created – the question we must ask ourselves is: What have we done to help facilitate this? Let us, for a moment, set aside the many criticisms of the Jama’at made by the opponents [of the Community]. Instead, let us all, as Ahmadis, reflect on whether a person coming from outside of India unfamiliar with the distinctions between Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis, would be able to differentiate between the heaven and earth of the two? If they were deaf, would they be able to draw a distinction on account of what they hear, and suppose they were also mute and unable to question people? But if they have eyes to witness and a mind to comprehend, can they look at us and conclude that our heaven and earth are fundamentally different from those of others? Would they return with the impression that some Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis observe the prayer and others do not? Would they hold the opinion that there are weak and iniquitous non-Ahmadis as well as weak and iniquitous Ahmadis? If these are the opinions they form, then how can they ever consider the heaven and earth of the Ahmadiyya Community to be something new? We must think about the efforts we have made thus far. Hitherto we have come to understand a few Islamic principles, given alms and made certain individual reforms. But very few substantial differences exist between us and non-Ahmadis. Members of our Community are not as susceptible to lying as others and the majority of us are not as negligent towards our prayers as non-Ahmadis. However, there are still members of our Community who are unmindful of worship. We more actively engage in preaching and our members hold a better understanding of the Holy Qur’an. But despite this, our appearance and manner are exactly the same. Can heaven and earth be said to have changed? In fact, our situation is such that we have yet to develop a disdain for the old system. Many of our youth are impressed by Western culture and conform to Western trends and fashions, having foregone Islamic culture and civilisation. Instead of defeating our opponents, supplanting their culture and establishing Islamic civilisation in its place, we are busy liberating our own from [the influence of others]. By the time they return, another ten have left and we have to make further efforts to bring them back [to the Islamic way of life]. We are busy not in bringing an end to the way of life of our opponents, but in preventing our own people from being influenced by it. Thus, we need to focus on our primary objective, which is to change the way of life and culture of the world and establish Islamic culture and Islamic civilisation in its place.
The Role of the Promised Messiahas in the True Revolution
One may argue that I have taken my interpretation of [the true revolution from] many Qur’anic verses and revelations of the Promised Messiahas, but does that mean I understand his revelations and the Holy Qur’an better than he did? If not, then why did the Promised Messiahas not initiate the revolution himself?
The answer to this question is that the seeds of this revolution are clearly contained in the revelations of the Promised Messiahas and he has continually drawn attention to this in his writings. The Promised Messiahas claimed that a new heaven and earth and new [spiritual] beings would be born through him. His many revelations and visions, elucidate this particular aspect of his mission. Therefore, once the process has begun, it is not necessary for [such a magnificent] task to be completed in an instant. In accordance with an injunction of the Holy Qur’an that was also revealed to him, the Promised Messiahas began the piecemeal initiation of this revolution. However, after his demise, we were unable to follow the trajectory of his mission. Perhaps Allah the Exalted desired a break or interval in proceedings. The injunction I have just referred to, is that Allah the Exalted says:
كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْـَٔهٗ فَـاٰزَرَهٗ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوٰى عَلٰى سُوْقِهٖ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيْظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَط وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ مِنْهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةً وَّأَجْرًا عَظِيْماً1
God says that the revolution of the Promised Messiahas would have four periods. Firstly, أَخْرَجَ شَطْـَٔهٗ (it sends forth its sprout); the period [of the revelation of the teaching] that will establish the principles. This age would be like that of the sprouting of the first shoots of a seed. It would be free from the early troubles that plagued Islam, which Allah the Exalted has referred to as اَتٰٓی اَمْرُاللہِ (decree of Allah is coming) اَتَی اللہُ بُنْیَانَھُمْ (Allah came upon their structure). It would be characterised by order and gradual progress. The seed of faith would be sown in people’s hearts and slowly grow into a budding plant. This would be followed by the second age which God Almighty refers to as اٰزَرَہٗ (makes it strong), meaning the plant would become strong and take root. This is a reference to the implementation of religious law. The third age would witness the fulfilment of the prophecy of اسْتَغْلَظَ (it becomes thick). The plant [of faith] would grow strong and the mission that had once appeared small and insignificant to others and was established in a small part of the world would spread throughout the whole globe. As more and more people would enter the fold of Ahmadiyyat, its teachings would spread. The word اسْتَغْلَظَ (it becomes thick) alludes to the spread of Ahmadiyyat in the whole world. In the fourth age, the world would witness the establishment of Islamic kingship, as is intimated in the words فَاسْتَوٰى عَلٰى سُوْقِهٖ (it stands firm on its stem). Those aspects of Islamic law which are dependent on an administrative structure would be implemented and the world would be united by one culture and one civilisation. The words فَاسْتَوٰى عَلٰى سُوْقِهٖ (it stands firm on its stem) are similar to the passage of the Holy Qur’an in which Allah the Exalted is said to have settled on His throne. God further says that this civilisation would be so great and magnificent that it would يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ open the eyes of other nations and cultures and leave them amazed. They would look at what Ahmaddiyyat has cultivated and wonder at its greatness. Something akin to this is mentioned elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an:
رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا لَوْ كَانُوْا مُسْلِمِيْنَ2
That is to say, when the Holy Prophetsa established the teachings of Islam, the disbelievers on numerous occasions commented that although he was [God forbid] a liar, he brought with him an excellent teaching. They would secretly long to become Muslims. Thus, when Islamic civilisation would extend throughout the whole world in the form of Ahmadiyyat and Islamic governments would prevail across all regions, the rest of the faiths would acknowledge that it is no longer possible to compete with this. The words, لِيَغِيْظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ (He may cause the disbelievers to burn with rage at the sight of them) refer to the staunchest opponents of Islam who would be made despondent by the success of the religion and realise that their opposition could no longer have any effect on it. The first group of people mentioned in this verse are those whose pure nature would still possess traces of [spiritual] life. They would recognise its superiority and express the desire to become part of this system. The second group mentioned in this verse are those strident opponents [of the Jama’at] who would be left despondent at seeing any chance of victory had been taken from them. The first period of the age of the Promised Messiahas was one in which initial seeds [of faith] were sprouting. The second period has now begun so that this task might be fulfilled in the lifetime of those who have seen the light of prophethood in person. If this task is not fulfilled today, it will never be accomplished.
Endnotes:
- [And their description in the Gospel] is like unto a seed-produce that sends forth its sprout, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and stands firm on its stem, delighting the sowers – that He may cause the disbelievers to burn with rage at the sight of them. Allah has promised, unto those of them who believe and do good works, forgiveness and a great reward. (Surah al-Fath, 48:30) [Publishers]
- Often will the disbelievers wish that they were Muslims. (Surah al-Hijr, 15:3) [Publishers]
To be continued…
(Translation by Fazl-e-Umar Foundation, English Section)