The Message and the Role of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement

A Revivalist Islamic Movement:

At the very outset, let me emphasize that the Ahmadiyya Movement is not a new religion in any sense at all. It is, on the contrary, the revival of Islamic faith in its original and pristine purity. Not only is the Movement not a new faith but, if properly appraised, it does not even represent a new sect in Islam. As a matter of fact, this Movement represents a Divine scheme to inaugurate the struggle for dissemination of the true teachings of Islam in the modern world. It is a campaign to establish the truth and superiority of the principles of Islam and to revive the conquering forces of the faith.

Quran and Sunnah — the Pivotal Centre for Revival:

As I have said before, this Movement stands for the revival and renaissance of Islam in its pristine purity. The two great and original sources of Islam are the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. There can be no difference of opinion about these sources being the two main foundations on which is built the faith of Islam. Any belief, tenet and teaching traceable to the Quran and the Sunnah must be accepted to form part of the Islamic faith; while anything proved to be repugnant to these two sources must be rejected. These two sources form the basis of the brotherhood of all Muslims all over the world. In matter of detail and interpretation, Muslim schools of thought may differ from each other. However, as long as they accept and adhere to these two basic sources, they are Muslims, irrespective of their minor differences. Members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement do unequivocally declare that the Quran and Sunnah form the basic pillars of Islamic faith, and that the neglect of this vital principle by Muslims is mainly responsible for disunity, divisions and sectarianism. The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian] was the first person in this age to raise his voice loud against the nefarious practice of takfeer, i.e., calling brother Muslims as heretics and unbelievers. The Founder also emphasized reversion to the Divine Book, the main pivot around which revolves the progress and unity of Islam. The Holy Quran has itself stated:

وَ اعۡتَصِمُوۡا بِحَبۡلِ اللّٰہِ جَمِیۡعًا وَّ لَا تَفَرَّقُوۡا ۪

“Hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited” (The Holy Quran, 3:103).

This ‘covenant of Allah’ is nothing else but the Quran as indicated by a saying of the Holy Prophet [Muhammad (pbuh)].

The message of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement to the Muslims in general, therefore, is to return to the Word of God and learn to understand and imbibe the exact spirit of the Quran and Sunnah and not to be satisfied with mere verbal repetition, formalism and ritual ceremonialism.

The Lahore Ahmadiyya — the Greatest Revivalist Movement in Modern Age:

That the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement has been able to revive this basic fundamental of Islam, is admitted by eminent Muslim scholars. To quote only one instance, Mr. Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, the great English convert, scholar and a translator of the Holy Quran, commenting upon Maulana Muhammad Ali’s book, The Religion of Islam, says,

“No living man has done longer or more valuable service to the cause of revival of Islam than Maulana Muhammad Ali of Lahore. His writings, together with those of Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, have given fame and distinction to the Ahmadiyya Movement. In our opinion the present volume is his finest work. It is a description of Al-Islam by one well-versed in Sunnah, who has on his mind the shame of the Muslim decadence of the past five centuries and in his heart the hope of its revival, of which signs can now be seen on every side. Without moving a hair’s breadth from the traditional position with regard to worship and religious duties, the author shows a wide field in which changes are lawful and may be desirable, because here the rules and practices are not based on an ordinance of the Quran or an edict of the Prophet (peace be on him)”.

I have quoted the above to show that according to accredited Muslim scholars, where Muslim traditions are not based on the Quran and Sunnah, even changes are lawful for the revival of Islam, according to the needs of the times. The very idea of revival of faith connotes that the followers have, somehow or other, deviated from its true teachings. The need for the advent of a renovator (Mujaddid) arises only when the fair face of the faith has been distorted. Moreover, new needs demand new orientation. That is exactly the position in Islam claimed by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

Islamic Jihad in the Modern Changed Conditions:

The complete message of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement is, however, not only “Back to Quran” but also “Onward with Quran.” In the completely changed conditions of the present times, the true teachings of Islam must be widely disseminated and broadcast to an ignorant world. Under the urge of scientific inquiry and research the criterion of sifting truth has undergone a total revolution. Blind following and bowing to unreasonable authority have been replaced by an urge for cogent reasoning, convincing proof, conformity to natural laws and fulfilment of needs of mankind. The accepted criterion now is that the faith which can satisfactorily solve the modern problems of humanity shall be the future faith of mankind. Ahmadiyyat maintains that Islam and the Quran, and these alone, can solve the problems of today’s world. The Founder of the Movement held the Holy Quran above everything else and directed the attention of the Muslims to the great work of Jihad with the Quran (Jihad-bil-Quran). It is a great injustice to accuse the Founder of having abrogated the Islamic doctrine of Jihad. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Founder of the Movement and all Ahmadis believe in every single word of the Holy Quran and the doctrine of Jihad is as valid for them as for any other Muslim. What the Founder rejected was not the doctrine but its orthodox interpretation which had given rise in the west to grave misconceptions and the wrong impression that the word Jihad was synonymous with war undertaken to force the religion of Islam upon non-Muslims. The Muslims themselves laboured under a similar delusion. The belief in the advent of a warrior Mahdi found currency amongst the Muslims because of the false impression that conversion at the point of sword was also permissible. The result was that they absolutely forgot the importance of Jihad with Quran. It was the task of the Founder of the Movement to remove all erroneous views on the subject and to put things in their proper perspective. He laid great emphasis on Jihad with the Quran not only in theory but also in practice. By his personal example he demonstrated how Jihad with the Quran should be carried out, and he instilled the same zeal in his followers. In this way he established the superiority of Islam in the world and showed the way how Muslims, in spite of being weak from the point of view of worldly power, could bring the stronger nations under the yoke of Islam, if they would just make the correct use of the weapon which had been given to them in the form of the Quran. Jihad with Quran and the preaching of Islam (Ishaat-i-Islam) are identical expressions. How far Ahmadiyyat has succeeded in the revival of these ideas can be gauged from the fact that until recently when someone talked about preaching of Islam, he was immediately identified as being an Ahmadi. Muslims were completely oblivious to the great power which lay with them in the form of the Quran, until Ahmadiyyat awakened them to this supreme reality. Jihad is indeed obligatory on all Muslims under all circumstances, but this is the same Jihad which the Holy Prophet and his Companions carried on under all circumstances and conditions, whether they lived at Makkah or Madinah. The bringing home of this great truth to the Muslims has been one of the foremost tasks of Ahmadiyyat.

Need for a Heavenly-ordained Revivalist Movement in Islam:

Before I proceed further, I would like to place before you some extracts from the writings of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. His first book, Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, gives an idea of his passion for the spread of Islam. The very purpose of his being raised as a Mujaddid [Reformer] was to establish the predominance of Islam over other religions. He says:

In his book Fath-e-Islam, which, as its name indicates, deals with the triumph of Islam in the world, the object of his advent is described thus:

“Do not wonder that God the Most High in this time of need and in the days of this darkness has sent down a heavenly light and, having chosen a servant of His for the good of mankind in general, has sent him to make supreme the religion of Islam and to spread the light brought by the most excellent of His creatures, viz., the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and to strengthen the cause of Muslims and to purify their spiritual condition” (p. 5).

And again, he says in the same book:

“The truth will win and the freshness and light of Islam which characterized it in its earlier days will be restored and that sun (of Islam) will rise again which rose in its full resplendence before. But it is necessary that Heaven should withhold its rising till our hearts bleed with labour and hard work and we sacrifice all comfort for its appearance and submit ourselves to all kinds of disgrace for the honour of Islam. The life of Islam demands a sacrifice from us and what is that? That we lay down our lives in its way. And on this our death depends the life of Islam, the life of Muslims and the manifestation of the Living God. This in other words is called Islam. And the revival of this Islam is the will of God, the Most High” (pp. 8, 9).

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was a prolific writer, and throughout his books and all other writings, as well as in most of his Persian and Urdu poems, is reflected the great passion which he had for the propagation of Islam; and his writings are full of hope, prayers and the glad tidings that the days of triumph of Islam are drawing nigh. It is quite astonishing that, while living in a village absolutely cut off from all modern movements, neither having knowledge of the English language nor any contact with the Western world, he particularly set before himself the task of propagating Islam in the west. In one of his books published as early as 1891 he writes,

“This humble servant has been shown in a vision that the rising of the sun from the West signifies that the Western world shall have the light of Islam.”

He then records a vision in which he saw himself speaking from a pulpit in London and explaining the truth of Islam in a well-reasoned address in the English language; and afterwards he saw himself catching a large number of white birds. Then he interprets this vision to mean that though he may not personally go there, his writings would spread among these people and they would embrace Islam. He had great faith and a firm conviction on this point. He says,

“At this critical moment a man has been raised by God and He desires to manifest the beautiful face of Islam to the Western world and open its ways to the Western countries” (Izalah Auham, pp. 515, 516).

Contributions made to Islamic Thought:

The contributions made by the Founder of the Movement to Islamic thought are multifarious and numerous and it is not possible to deal with them all in a limited time. I will only mention some of the salient features. Before doing so, I would like to point out, firstly, that all matters in which the Founder gave a new direction to Muslim thought are closely connected with Islam’s advancement in the world; they have nothing in common with the sectarian differences among Muslims but they are vital to the existence and advancement of Islam as they are meant to wipe off certain blemishes which were ascribed to it. Secondly, it should be remembered that religion was made perfect in Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the last of Prophets. Therefore, any revival of the faith can only be a revival of the great truths taught by Islam, i.e., an interpretation of the Holy Quran and the Sayings of the Prophet. It is as such that the Ahmadiyya Movement has given prominence to many important religious truths, some of which I would like to mention now.

For common people the question of Jesus Christ’s death is perhaps the only distinguishing feature of the Ahmadiyya Movement. This, however, is not wholly correct. There is no doubt that the Founder has laid great stress on this point, as it was an obstacle in the way of the propagation of Islam, and the claim of the Founder as the Promised Messiah is also based on this. But the greatest distinguishing feature of Ahmadiyyat is that it has revived the almost dead concept of God’s communication with man. The foremost task to which the Founder devoted his attention was to demonstrate this truth once more to the world that God still spoke to his righteous servants and that this in no way interfered with the finality of Prophethood. The real claim of the Founder was that of being a Mujaddid, a renovator, and a muhaddath whom God appoints to uphold the cause of religion, and who is not a prophet though God communicates with him frequently. For the revival of faith in religion the first point is to prove the authenticity of Divine communication with man, as this is what has been vehemently denied in this age. The concept of a mechanical God, as the Ultimate Cause, is even admitted by a materialist, but the foundation of religion was, and is, on the fact of God’s communication with man. The basis of almost all religions is the phenomena of Divine revelation. But there is no religion except Islam that advocates that even now God communicates with man. Yet this concept became extinct even amongst Muslims. Wahabism was a strong movement in Islam before the advent of the Ahmadiyya Movement, but its followers, called Ahl-e-Hadith also believed that God’s communication with man was meant for times gone by, although in authentic traditions it is clearly mentioned that there would be persons in this ummah [Islamic nation] who would not be prophets and yet God would speak to them. Under the influence of modern education, Sir Sayyed Ahmad Khan of Aligarh (India) went so far in this respect as to reject entirely the concept of God’s revelation to human beings. It was left to the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement to establish this point from the Quran and the Hadith that Divine Communication had not come to an end. He presented his own self as a proof and claimed to be the recipient of such favours of God. In his books he has mentioned many of his prophecies which had come true and has also made forceful assertions that it was only in Islam that Divine Communication was continued and therefore Islam was the only living religion in the world.

The second major area of contribution to the Islamic thought, or revival of the great truths taught by Islam, was in respect of Islam’s relationship with other religions. The Founder emphasized the original broad and liberal outlook of Islam towards other religions, which, in course of time, had entirely been lost sight of. Through misrepresentations and misunderstandings Islam had come to be looked upon as a most intolerant religion while it is, as a matter of fact, extremely liberal. Never in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet was any person converted to Islam by force. Nor was any war waged by him against a nation for the purpose of spreading Islam amongst them. Yet European writers had drawn this very picture of Islam and its Founder to create hatred against Islam. The western domination in the world helped to spread this distorted view far and wide. On the other hand, the concept of a warrior Mahdi among Muslims themselves gave support to this misunderstanding. The correction of this fundamental mistake is a distinctive feature of Ahmadiyya thought, and the Founder’s claim of being the Mahdi was to root out this false notion from amongst Muslims themselves. This, in other words, means that Islam does not stand in need of force for its propagation.

The Founder also removed the misconception that a Muslim who renounces Islam should be immediately put to death. Ahmadiyyat has made it clear from the Quran and Hadith that it is neither lawful to convert a person to Islam by force nor to keep him within the faith under threat of sword, and has thus removed this stain from the beautiful face of Islam that it had no spiritual force to keep itself alive.

Emphasis by the Ahmadiyya Movement on the point that sword has nothing to do with the propagation of Islam has led many people to falsely accuse its Founder of having abrogated the Islamic doctrine of Jihad. I have already commented upon this. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib has thrown ample light on this subject and pointed out that there is a Jihad which one can always carry on for Islam (i.e., exerting oneself spiritually in the way of God and doing one’s best to preach the message of Islam to others) and there is a Jihad with sword which can be resorted to only under specific conditions for the defence of Islam. He declared the preaching of Islam to be the Jihad of this age. Other spiritual leaders prescribe for their disciples different adhkar and mujahadat, i.e, recitals and certain hard exercises for their spiritual advancement, which could not be traced to the ways of the Prophet and his Companions. On the other hand, the Founder, while taking baiat [pledge], would ask his followers to strive hard in the cause of propagation of Islam.

The third major distinctive feature of the Ahmadiyya Movement is that the Quran must be given precedence over everything else. While all Muslims agree that the Quran is the real source of guidance for Muslims, in practice they attached more importance to Fiqh (jurisprudence) over the Quran and Hadith, and the Divine Book was relegated to the background. Principles of religion or portions thereof were referred to one of the four Imams according to Ahl-e-Sunnah and to the traditions of the Prophet according to the Ahl-e-Hadith. With the attaching of greater and greater importance to Fiqh the natural beauty and simplicity of Islam was lost in the labyrinth of arduous and nerve-wrecking questions which ultimately sapped the energies of the Muslim nation. Books depicting the teachings of Islam by Christian writers were chiefly based on works of Fiqh and they tried to excite hatred against Islam among Europeans by presenting before them a confused and complicated picture of the simple doctrines and beliefs of Islam. To remove these misunderstandings and to clear the ground for the preaching of Islam, it was essential that the original simplicity of Islam be restored. This was the work which the Founder of the Movement accomplished by laying due stress on a first-hand study and knowledge of the Quran in a Muslim’s life, and by explaining the right place of the Holy Quran as compared with the Hadith and Fiqh. The Founder used the Quran as his chief instrument for the reformation of Muslims and for the propagation of Islam among non-Muslims. Although the Ahmadis fully respect the Hadith and after that the ijtihad of the Imams, and they refer to these (in that order) as two sources of information on religious matters after the Holy Quran, yet their main energy is spent in disseminating the knowledge of the Quran, which was the real source of life for the Muslims before, and which is still capable of giving them a new life.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in all his writings, whether in support of Islam or in repudiation of others’ false doctrines, used to base all his arguments on the Divine Book. In important discussions and controversies, and indeed before writing a book on any subject, his normal practice was to go through the Quran from beginning to end and derive all his inspirations and his conclusions from it. While debating with non-Muslim missionaries and religious leaders he used to lay down the condition that whatever claims or arguments were advanced, should be based on their respective religious scriptures, a principle which he used to follow himself scrupulously even though his opponents could not. In this way too he established the glory and supremacy of the Quran.

Besides this Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad cleared many other misconceptions about the Quran which the Muslims erroneously adopted. For instance, it was generally believed that there were certain verses in the Quran which had been abrogated by other verses. By accepting such a view, it had to be admitted that there were discrepancies in the Holy Book. This erroneous doctrine was removed by the Founder of the Movement, who made it clear that there was no verse in the Quran which had been abrogated by another verse.

Moreover, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib, by declaring that the door to Ijtihad (exercise of judgment) was open, encouraged the use of intellect and reasoning in the interpretation of the Quran. He himself gave a lead to his followers by laying down a healthy relationship between intellectual and spiritual truths, by interpreting the Quran both in a scientific and literary manner, by disregarding the fanciful and imaginary stories which were then being treated as an essential part of interpretation of the Quran, by fighting against the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of the ulama [clerics], and by laying down the principles that while interpreting the Quran, the Quran itself should have priority over everything else and then should come Hadith (but reports dealing with stories should be accepted after great caution and scrutiny) and that care should be exercised in selecting that meaning of words which does not go against history, human intellect or experience.

Denial of a claim to Prophethood:

Before I conclude, I would like to clarify the position of the Founder of the Movement [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian] vis-a-vis the allegation that he claimed to be a prophet.

I have already referred to his claim as basically being that of the Mujaddid [Reformer] of the 14^th century of Hijrah [Islamic Era]. This announcement was made in his first and renowned book, the Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, a work in five volumes, in which the truth of the teachings of Islam was established by forceful arguments, and in which was emphasized the necessity of Divine revelation and the fact that revelation was not a thing of the past but God also spoke to his chosen ones in this ummah [Islamic nation]. In this connection he referred to his visions and inspirations and mentioned the fulfilment of some of these. The publication of this book made a deep impression on the Muslims. Praises were lavished upon him for his righteousness and piety, his services to the cause of Islam and his bold stand against the opponents of Islam. It was some years later that he announced that it was disclosed to him that Jesus, son of Mary, was dead, and the Messiah whose advent was promised to the Muslims would be a Mujaddid of this ummah, and that the prophecies relating to the advent of the Messiah were fulfilled in his own person. He further made it known that reports relating to the appearance of a Mahdi also related to the coming of the Messiah, who would spread Islam, not by sword as was commonly believed, but by arguments and reasoning. With these claims, the man who was considered by the ulama of the time to be the champion of Islam came to be regarded as its enemy. One of the charges which was levied against him was that, by claiming to be the Promised Messiah, he claimed prophethood for himself. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad emphatically denied this and in doing so explained that the word “prophet”, used for the second coming of Isa, son of Mary, in the tradition of the Holy Prophet, was to be taken in a literal sense, i.e., a person who makes a prophecy on receipt of Divine Communications. Moreover, a Muhaddath, who receives Divine Communication can, in a metaphorical sense be called a Nabi. I give below some quotations from his books:

“The coming Messiah, on account of being a Muhaddath, is also called metaphorically a prophet” (Izalah Auham, p. 340).

“In a metaphorical sense God has the right to speak of an inspired servant (Mulham) as a prophet or a mursal (the sent one).” (Siraj Munir, p. 3).

“I have been called a prophet of God by way of metaphor and not by way of reality” (Haqiqat al-Wahy, supplement Istifta, p. 65).

The last quotation is from a book published in 1907 and shows that from the beginning to the end, his attitude on this point had not changed.

On the other hand, from the beginning to the end, all his writings are full of clear, unambiguous and unequivocal denial of ever having claimed to be a prophet. Let this distinction be very clear. In the quotations given above and many other similar ones, he was explaining away the use of the word Nabi in the tradition of the Prophet or in some of his own revelations. But in all his works he never himself claimed to be a prophet. A few more quotations from his works:

“We also curse the claimant to prophethood” (Majmuah-e-Ishtiharat, p. 224).

“After our Lord and Master, Muhammad Mustafa (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) — the last of the messengers — I regard any claimant to prophethood to be a liar and an unbeliever” (Ishtihar 2^nd October 1891).

“I look upon anyone who denies the finality of Prophethood to be a heretic and outside the pale of Islam” (Taqrir Wajib al-Ilan at Delhi, 23^rd October 1891).

“It does not behove me that I should lay a claim to prophethood and go outside the pale of Islam and join the party of unbelievers” (Hamamatul Bushra, p. 79).

Such quotations from his writings could be multiplied manifold. As against the denial of a claim to prophethood there is an admission to the claim of Muhaddathiyyat and a clear declaration, and I quote:

“the claim of being the Promised Messiah is not in any way greater than claim of being a recipient of Divine Communication or a mujaddid from God” (Aina-e Kamalat-e-Islam, p. 340).

It is beyond the scope of this speech to go into greater details on this matter. But one other point requires clarification. While in all his books the Founder has not even once claimed to be a prophet, and while the denial of such a claim has been made again and again in clear terms, yet first his opponents and later a section of his followers declared him to be a claimant to Prophethood. This bears an interesting resemblance to the position of Jesus Christ. Christ never claimed that he was God or the Son of God, though he used the term Son of God in a metaphorical sense. Yet, not only did the learned among the Jews charge him with blasphemy and unbelief because in their view he had claimed Godhood, but also his extremist followers coined the doctrine, later on, that he did indeed make such a claim. Only a small section, the Unitarians, stuck to the correct belief that he never claimed to be a ‘God or Son of God. The Quran, revealed six hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, confirmed the belief of this small section as true, and the belief of Jews and other Christians to be false. Similar is the case with the Messiah of the Muslim nation. When he claimed to be the Promised Messiah his opponents straightaway declared him to be a heretic, on the wrong assumption that he claimed to be a prophet. After his death, a large section of his followers, led by a person who had no Divine authority, adopted the doctrine that Mirza Sahib was in fact a claimant to Prophethood. The other section, although much smaller in number, adhered to the belief that he never claimed to be a prophet and this in fact is the right course. In the case of Jesus Christ a prophet was raised to the pedestal of Divinity, and in our age a mujaddid was raised to prophethood.

Conclusion:

The true conception of the Ahmadiyya Movement is only this, that it is a Movement for the defence and propagation of Islam in the world, and all the distinguishing features it possesses are means to achieve this end. The acceptance of the claims of the Founder is also a necessary means to achieve the object of the spread of Islam. With the acceptance of these claims one feels in one’s self a strong and invigorating faith, as is evident from the lives of the great men who came into direct contact with the Founder, and not only became fully convinced that Islam was going to prevail over all other religions but also, in actual practice, became great missionaries of Islam. It is the spiritual contact with the Founder which stimulates in an Ahmadi an active faith. For him, no longer do such mysteries exist as the second advent of Christ, the tribulations of Dajjal (Anti-Christ), the prevalence of Gog and Magog, the coming of Mahdi, etc. There is a tremendous difference between the attitude of an Ahmadi and a non-Ahmadi. The latter is waiting for somebody else to come and advance the cause of Islam, and the former is convinced that it is his own work, and he has the power to do it. Those who enter into fealty with the Founder [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian] know it fully well that the prophecies of the Holy Prophet have been fulfilled. It was foretold that the days of the first glory of Islam would be followed by a period of decline, poverty and misery for the Muslims, but again Islam would rise in its full splendour and conquer the world with its spiritual force, and that this is the age when the prophecies relating to the resurgence of Islam with the advent of Messiah are going to be fulfilled. It is our duty now to carry the message of Islam to the corners of the world. The power to conquer hearts is inherent in Islam. But we have to work and sweat for its success.

اَللّٰهُمَّ انْصُرْ مَنْ نَّصَرَ دِيْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ
اَللّٰهُمَّ اخْذُلْ مَنْ خَذَلَ دِيْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَا تَجْعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ

“O Allah help those who help the religion of Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and make us from among them.
“O Allah, forsake them who forsake the religion of Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and do not make us from among them.”

Ameen!