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 Right of Inheritance of Women
In this regard, the first step is the reform of those matters that are apparent and obvious. Today, I wish to highlight one such matter that, if resolved properly, would remove [many] hurdles from our path. The only obstacles in our way are the irreligiousness, ignorance and laziness of people. That is, for some, laziness; for others, ignorance; and for others, irreligion have become obstacles to acting on this issue. Hence, there remains no reason for our entire Community to effectively resolve, from this day forward, to eliminate this vice.
[The issue I am about to speak on] is a sin that is committed on a national level. Ordinarily, [Muslim] farmers and landowners in this country do not bequeath their assets and property in accordance with [Islamic] hereditary laws. The Jama‘at has been established for 50 years, yet women do not receive their share of the inheritance that God and his prophet have entitled them to. It is true that there are exceptions. If I take my own example, my mother and sisters were all given their inheritance. Anyone who claims that my sisters were cheated out of it is a liar. However, on the whole, the majority of people fail to follow (inheritance laws) and do not give their daughters, sisters, wives and mothers the amount they are entitled to. However, I ask, what obstacle prevents action on this issue, aside from the claim that it is not part of our tradition? You cannot give any other answer to this, but did not Muslims before us have followed this injunction and it is a source of great shame for us that every non-Ahmadi in Uttar Pradesh continues to follow it to this day? Similarly, the people of Sarhad petitioned to have a law implemented in their province, which established Islamic hereditary laws. However, no Ahmadi can claim that they will create a new earth and a new heaven until they divide their property amongst their mothers, wives, daughters and sisters as ordained by sharia. It seems that landowners fear that if the female members of their household inherit their property, it will fall into the hands of others. However, if the whole Jama‘at follows this law, there is no need to be anxious about this, for if their property goes to another family, another family’s property will come to them. There is no reason why this law should not be adhered to. And I understand that the time has come for the righteous of our Community to declare that they will follow it in the future and he will give his daughter, his sister, his wife, and his mother the share that the law has granted them. Those who are not willing to do this should leave the Jama‘at. Therefore, in the future, the Community should ensure that this law is implemented, and some action, in the manner of a reasonable punishment [ta‘zir], should be considered against those who do not follow it. If anyone is not willing to endure our punishment, then such a person should be expelled from the Community so that no one can say in the future that there is disrespect for the sharia among you.
A Demand from the Jama‘at
Now, after explaining the importance of this issue and proving that a new heaven and a new earth can only be created once the sunna and sharia are revived. Therefore, I will say something I have never said before, and I demand from the Community that those among you who are prepared to act on what they have been told, to stand up.
(Upon this, all those present stood up and, saying ‘Labbayk Ya Amir al-Mu’minin, Labbayk,’1 acknowledged it. After this, Huzoorra said:)
You have all declared that you will overcome trouble and adversity in order to help revive the love of God Almighty and the sharia of Muhammad, peace be upon him. Moreover, you will give daughters and other female members of your household the amount of inheritance decreed for them by God and His Prophet voluntarily, without having to be forced to do so. Therefore, at this time, since you all have made this declaration as a Jama‘at, keep in mind that if any member of our Jama‘at fails to follow this, they will have a social boycott imposed on them or face punishment that is within our capability. If they do not accept this, they will be removed from the Jama‘at.
The Rights of Women
The second matter that I wish to address is not as widespread, yet, since it is mandated by sharia, I emphasise that you should always take care of the rights of women and appreciate their feelings instead of suppressing them, especially in a situation where you have more than one wife. This is a command that sharia has given: to treat all your wives equally. However, I have observed that this command is often violated, and the prescriptions of sharia are not adhered to, leading to the belief that a woman’s heart is not one of feelings but rather a piece of stone. In some cases, without any sharia justification, women are compelled not to meet their parents, and the husband assumes that the wife should live under his authority like a dog. Such foolish people do not understand that God Almighty has also made women human beings and placed emotions and feelings within them. Would they themselves like the idea of being prevented from meeting their parents and serving them? If not, then they must also consider the feelings of women. However, I regret that some men who have more than one wife do not treat them equally, and some even go to the extent of oppressing them by preventing their wives from serving their parents or even meeting them. This is a highly shameful act, and I believe that today our Jama‘at should decide that its members will respect the feelings of women. Indeed, sharia grants certain rights to men because it has made men as guardians (قَیِّم). However, this does not mean that injustice and unfairness are permissible for them. Therefore, each of us should pledge that either he will not take a second wife in the future, or if he does, he will treat both wives justly. If he cannot be fair, he should divorce his first wife. Otherwise, the Community will be compelled to demand that if he does not treat his wives equally, he must choose one of the aforementioned courses of action, and if he is unwilling to adopt any of those methods, he will be separated from the Community.
Trustworthiness
The third command that people are currently neglecting is trustworthiness. Regarding this, the Jama‘at also ought to pledge that in the future, every Ahmadi will behave in an honest manner and not break the trust of anyone in regard to the belongings entrusted to them. I have seen that a number of people spend a portion of what is entrusted to them for their personal needs to alleviate their hardships. When the owner arrives to reclaim their possessions, instead of returning the money immediately, they ask the owner to be patient, explaining that they are expecting a payment from another source and will return it as soon as they receive it. They may spend the money that has been entrusted to them with honesty and with the firm intention to pay it back; however, in truth, they are betraying that trust. The proper way to safeguard a trust is [to ensure] that it remains exactly as it was entrusted, and the trustee must return it immediately when the owner asks for it back. The family of Hakim Mahmood Khan Sahib in Delhi was well-known for their honesty. During the mutiny [of 1857], people would throw bundles of jewellery and clothing over their wall for safekeeping because he was the royal physician to the Maharaja of Patiala, who had sent a guard specifically for the protection of his home and told the British that, since Hakim Sahib was his royal physician, nothing should befall him. At that time, his home was secure while others were not, and since he was known for his honesty, people rushed in and threw bundles of jewellery and clothes over his wall without any concern for what would become of them. Eventually, a number of those who had thrown their bundles came back ten years later and reclaimed their possessions as they had left them. Every member of our Jama’at should set such an example, and every Ahmadi should be so acclaimed by their peers and the society around them for trustworthiness that people would not hesitate to leave millions of rupees with them, and upon hearing the name of an Ahmadi, they should understand that this is a person with whom it is safe to leave their belongings.
Service to Humanity
The fourth matter, to which I wish to impress upon you, is the need to serve humanity. You should toil with your own hands and strive to ensure hygiene and cleanliness in your villages. The streets and alleys of Indian towns and villages are often littered and unclean; it is the obligation of our Community to ensure that we keep them clean. The instructions given to the Ummah by the Holy Prophetsa regarding cleanliness can only be implemented when the members of our Community, both young and old, do not shy away from working with their own hands and look after the cleanliness [of their neighbourhoods] themselves. Moreover, villages where Ahmadis form a majority should stand out in cleanliness compared to other villages. This way, any outsider entering an Ahmadi village can instantly recognise it as a place where Ahmadis live due to its cleanliness and hygiene.
The Ahmadiyya Dar-ul-Qadha
The fifth matter that I want to draw the Community’s attention to is that, other than those cases that must be submitted before a government court [due to legal obligation], and for which the law states they must be taken to court, no disputes of ours should go to such courts. Such disputes should be resolved in accordance with sharia [internally by Qadha, that is, our own arbitration council]. If anyone refuses to follow this directive, Jama‘at must punish them so that they may mend their ways. If they are not willing to accept their punishment, they should be expelled [from the Jama‘at]. So far this has only been implemented in Qadian, but I wish for every jama‘at to establish a local arbitration council to handle these matters. Every Ahmadi should resolve that they will not take their disputes to British courts unless they are obligated to do so by the government; instead, they will have their cases decided by the Jama‘at’s Dar-ul-Qadha in accordance with the sharia, and they will accept the council’s decision willingly. Even if this leads to some members leaving the Jama‘at, we should not be deterred.
When this revelation was vouchsafed to the Messenger of Allahsa, that is:
ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِيْنَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِىْ وَرَضِيْتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِيْنًا2
He proclaimed this revelation while mounted on a camel on the occasion of the final pilgrimage. He said that this was the final commandment God had given to him. Thereafter, he asked those gathered there whether he had communicated to them the teaching he had received. His Companions replied that he had. He then went on to say that he had discharged himself of his responsibility.3
Similarly, I, too, discharge myself of this responsibility that God Almighty has placed on me. Because I have made it clear to you that the sharia that God has given you is not limited to the mere recitation of the words ‘There is no God but Allah.’ Rather, it encompasses religion, economy, politics, society, morals, civilisation, culture, and all other various matters. Now, it is the responsibility of the scholars to extract these issues from the Qur’an and Hadith and explain them to the world. Therefore, books should be written on every subject promptly so that people may benefit from them. Moreover, some books should be written in the form of questions and answers, just as some scholars in Punjab in the earlier days wrote books on ‘pakki roti’ and ‘mithi roti,’4 so that every member of the Community can memorise them. After that, it is their duty to act upon them.
As of now, we cannot implement those parts [of the sharia] that relate to government and statehood. But from today, we should, at the very least, put into practice that which is in our control. In the near future, as parts of the sharia are explained, [members of] the Community should act on and preserve them. The Community should never make the mistake of thinking that by giving alms, they have fulfilled their obligations. Rather, the implementation of all Islamic laws should be their sustenance, and the revival of sunna and sharia should be their pursuit.
This work should continue until the world admits – excluding all those parts that God Almighty has taken away and given to the British – in all other matters, the Ahmadiyya Jama’at has indeed created a new heaven and a new earth. When the rest of the world looks at any one of us in the world, they should not see servants of the 20th-century British rule or followers of Western ideas, but as individuals like the one who roamed the streets of Medina during the time of Prophet Muhammadsa thirteen hundred years ago.
Friends! I have conveyed to you the commandments of God Almighty. The preservation of the honour of the Holy Prophetsa is no small thing. You have taken an oath that you will endure every hardship and difficulty in order to live your lives according to the teachings of Islam and establish an Islamic civilisation. I am hopeful that each of you will firmly uphold your oaths and adhere to the commandments of the Holy Prophetsa that are within your ability to follow. So much so that your actions should confound those who accuse the Jama‘at of insulting the Holy Prophetsa, allowing you to declare, ‘If anyone doubts our sincerity, let them see in whose actions Muhammadsa lives,’ so that everyone may acknowledge that he lives on through the example set forth by the Ahmadis.
Endnotes:
- Labbayk is an Arabic term that means “Here I am.” It expresses readiness to respond to a call and signifies a deep sense of devotion and submission.
- This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion. (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:4) [Publishers]
- Sahih Muslim, p. 513-516, 2000, Riyadh, Hadith 2950 [Publishers]
- Pakki roti refers to a type of fully cooked flatbread, whereas mithi roti means a type of sweet flatbread. [Publishers]
To be continued…
(Translation by Fazl-e-Umar Foundation, English Section)