A non-Ahmadi lady wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, and requested Huzoor-e-Anwaraa to answer some of her questions about the Jamaat.
Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 22 August 2021, gave the following reply to her:
“[…] In the ahadith, which mention the coming of the Day of Resurrection forty years after the advent of Hazrat Isaas ibn Maryam, there are many things that require to be interpreted, as is characteristic of prophecies that many things in them require interpretation. Thus, first of all, the word qiyamah itself requires interpretation, since it appears in the Holy Quran and the ahadith of the Holy Prophetsa carrying different connotations: The word qiyamah has been used for the universal catastrophe when the order of this world will be wrapped up. The death of every person is also a qiyamah for that person. The period of a prophet also serves like a qiyamah for his enemies when their false beliefs are defeated and the truth prevails.
“The blessed era of the Holy Prophetsa was also a qiyamah for the people of Arabia, about which Allah the Exalted states:
اِقۡتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَ انۡشَقَّ الۡقَمَرُ
“‘The Hour (of the destruction of Arabia) has come, and the moon is rent asunder.’ (Surah al-Qamar, 54:2)]
“Likewise, the Holy Prophetsa said:
“‘My advent and the Hour’s are as (close to each other) as these (two fingers i.e. the middle and the index finger.)’ (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab at-talaq)
“Similarly, the sudden decline of a developed nation or the sudden advancement of a defeated nation is also referred to as qiyamah.
“The ahadith containing the mention of the Day of Resurrection forty years after the advent of Hazrat Masihas, i.e. the Messiahas of Muhammadsa, mean that over the last thousand years and especially before the advent of the Promised Messiahas, the state of Islam’s weakness and helplessness was such that the following prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa had been fulfilled word for word:
يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لَا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ إِلَّا اسْمُهُ، وَلَا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَّا رَسْمُهُ، مَسَاجِدُهُمْ عَامِرَةٌ وَهِيَ خَرَابٌ مِنَ الْهُدَى، عُلَمَاؤُهُمْ شَرُّ مَنْ تَحْتَ أَدِيمِ السَّمَاءِ منْ عِنْدَهُمْ تَخْرُجُ الْفِتْنَةُ وَفِيهِمْ تَعُودُ
“‘A time will come in the near future when there will be nothing left of Islam except its name. And there will be nothing left of the Holy Quran except its words. Their mosques will apparently be full of people, but will be empty of righteousness. Their clerics will be the worst creatures under heaven because fitnah will emerge from them and will return to them.’ (Shu‘ab al-Iman by Al-Bayhaqi, Fazl qala: yanbaghi li-talibi l-‘ilmi ’an yakuna ta’allumuhu wa li l-‘alimi ’an yakuna ta‘limuhu li wajhillah, Hadith 1858)
“Eminent Muslim scholars were leaving Islam and adopting Christianity, Islam was being attacked incessantly by every religion and no one was coming forward to respond to those attacks. The most sacred and pure character of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Chief of the Infallible, the Mercy for Mankind, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his noble wives were being openly blasphemed against. At that time, the Messiahas of Muhammadsa, the most ardent devotee of the Holy Prophetsa, appeared in exact accordance with his prophecies and he robustly responded to every attack against Islam, as a result of which every enemy of Islam had to flee. Once again, Allah made Islam triumphant over all other religions by giving it the full glory and splendour it deserved. The Promised Messiahas said in praise of Islam and its Holy Foundersa:
ہر طرف فكر كو دوڑا كے تهكايا ہم نے
كوئی ديں دينِ محمدؐ سا نہ پايا ہم نے
كوئی مذهب نہيں ايسا كہ نشاں دكهلاوے
يہ ثمر باغ محمدؐ سے ہی كهايا ہم نے
ہم نے اسلام كو خود تجربہ كر كے ديكها
نور ہے نور اٹهو ديكهو سنايا ہم نے
اور دينوں كو جو ديكها تو كہيں نور نہ تها
كوئی دكهلائے اگر حق كو چهپايا ہم نے
تهک گئے ہم تو انہی باتوں كو كہتے كہتے
ہر طرف دعوتوں كا تير چلايا ہم نے
آزمائش كے لئے كوئی نہ آيا ہر چند
ہر مخالف كو مقابل پہ بلايا ہم نے
“‘We wearied our mind by searching all around;
No Faith did we find like the Faith of Muhammadsa.
There is no religion that can show such signs,
This fruit we ate only from Muhammad’ssa orchard.
We have experimented with Islam ourselves;
It is light — pure light. Awake and see as we announce.
We looked at other Faiths, there was no light in them;
If we concealed the truth, would someone point it out!
We are tired of saying these things time and again;
We sent our invitations darting in all directions.
No one came to test it — not a soul,
We challenged every adversary to come against us.’
[’A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Tilford: 2021 , p. 224]
“So, this is that qiyamah that took place in favour of Islam and against its opponents through the coming of the Messiahas of Muhammadsa and through the Khilafah ‘ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah established after him, as a result of which, Islam, the name of the Holy Foundersa of Islam and the true teachings, as presented by him, reached the ends of the world. By Allah’s grace, even today, this spiritual jihad [of peace] is advancing by leaps and bounds, as the land of Islam’s opponents shrinks day by day.
“May Allah guide you, grant you the ability to recognise and accept the path of truth and guidance, and may He always bless you with His bounties. Amin.”