Ahmadis – The Forgotten People

re:#197 by Mantolives
It does not matter how great the contributions of Ahmediyyas are. The fact is: as an Ahmediya, one has no rights in Pakistan while an Ahmediyya can live without persecution in India.
Manto would never have made it to Rutgers if he had declared he was an Ahmediyya on his passport. Paki govt would not have issued him a passport.
So, like any intelligent person with ambitions, Manto changes his religion (not once but many times; i would say that is a sign of a budding politician!) and gets the passport to Rutgers.
Sridhar

re:#201 by zeemax
(If you go really deep, I mean really deep into the faith which is Islam, the spirituality and violence are so ingrained with each other that it is impossible to seperate one from the other. That leads one to the conclusion that if there`s Tauheed, then Good and Evil are ACTUALLY the same thing. That is extremely convincing.)
There is one guy who did go deep into Islam and came to the same conclusion that u did: that good and evil are the same. His name is Osama bin Laden.
Do u know where he is hiding?
Sridhar

#201 Zeemax

[Manto, you`re an intelligent person.]
Thanks for the early morning humor!

It is very presumptuous of you to think I don`t know of this story ... and the entire history of Hasishiyoun... It is rather remarkable of how this man `the Grand Old Man of Alamut` was able to keep the crusaders and Muslims both nervous for many years...
Out of place in Modern world.... no doubt... but remarkable nonetheless....

I read the book ``Order of the Assassins`` and that was what first attracted me to Ismailism.

Of-course Manto. It`s OK as long as you understand what`s behind the Ismaili movement.

Here`s the complete story. Sorry, it wasn`t one thousand, but two thousand feet.

Two men in the year 1092 stood on the ramparts of a medieval castle - the Eagle`s Nest - perched high upon the crags of the Persian mountains: the personal representative of the Emperor and the veiled figure who claimed to be the incarnation of God on earth. Hasan, son of Sabah, Sheikh of the Mountains and leader of the Assassins, spoke: ``You see that devotee standing guard on yonder turret-top? Watch!``

He made a signal. Instantly the white-robed figure threw up his hands in salutation, and cast himself two thousand feet into the foaming torrent which surrounded the fortress.

``I have one hundred fifty thousand men - and women - throughout Asia, each one of them ready to do my bidding. Can your master, Malik Shah, say the same? And he asks me to surrender to his sovereignty! This is your answer. Go!``

Such a scene may be worthy of the most exaggerated of horror films. And yet it took place in historical fact. The only quibble made by the chronicler of the time was that Hasan`s devotees numbered ``only about forty thousand.`` How this man Sabah came by his uncanny power, and how his devotees struck terror into the hearts of men from the Caspian to Egypt, is one of the most extraordinary of all tales of secret societies. Today, the sect of the Hashishin (druggers) still exists in the form of the Ismailis (Ishmaelites), whose undisputed chief, endowed by them with divine attributes, is the Aga Khan.

Rgds

Please do understand... that everyone has a right to their own opinion. You may think I am wrong... I don`t. Please recognise that your opinion is not over-riding... nor binding upon me.

Manto,

As for my locus standi, when you say ``In my opinion Islam stands for all that is positive and progressive and the Ismailis under the leadership of the current Agha Khan are doing just that- hence my conversion.``, you are entirely wrong.

All of Islam, whether Sunni or Ismaili or twelver or sevener, works on the underlying basis established by the forefathers, whether of the 11th century or the 7th century. The later leaders of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries were smarter by way of more experience of ways. The basis remains the same while the manifestations may change. The Agha Khan chooses the method of economic dominance over violance, like when he advised his followers to buy up the entire Karachi beach-front in 1997, which they did, and look where the prices are now. End result is the same of `dominance`. Just like the Jews, which is fine.

``There`s no good or evil. It`s all actually one. So just get on with it.`` That is my locus standi. And, that is Islam in its essence.

Rgds.

Manto, you`re an intelligent person. If you go really deep, I mean really deep into the faith which is Islam, the spirituality and violence are so ingrained with each other that it is impossible to seperate one from the other. That leads one to the conclusion that if there`s Tauheed, then Good and Evil are ACTUALLY the same thing. That is extremely convincing.

If the totality is God, then there`s no room for the `devil`. They`re all actually `One`.

Rgds

....contd.....#198

Hasan As-Sabah invented political assassinationas as a means of tactical warfare. There`s this little story of Hasan As-Sabah`s charisma and power.

An emissary from the Caliph in Baghdad visited As-Sabah`s fort in Alamut to pursuade him to join the Caliph and not to remain sovereign over territorries of the caliphate. As-Sabah asked and if not? The emissary said in that case there will be war.

As-Sabah took the emissary out on the grounds of the fort on the mountain with a watch-tower in view in the distance on the edge of a cliff, with a sheer drop of a thousand feet below. As-Sabah raised his hand, pointed his finger at the guard in the watch tower, and dropped his wrist back to his waist. The guard jumped from the watch tower into the thousand feet drop.

The matter was settled. As-Sabah told the emissary he had 150,000 men like that. The emissary went back. As-Sabah was never bothered again; and it took only the Mongols to dislodge him. Marco Polo wrote later that all his libraries were destroyed but As-Sabah was really fond of reading.

Dear Zeemax...

I am afraid I don`t understand your locus standi..

I know full well about the Hashishiyoun etc... but we are not living in 1187... but 2006.... and Agha Khan and his movement are entirely different. I never was an Ahmadi personally... my parents always encouraged to read and learn more about various sects....

In my opinion Islam stands for all that is positive and progressive and the Ismailis under the leadership of the current Agha Khan are doing just that- hence my conversion.

Manto,

You have avoided my query of #169. My question to you in response to your statement:
LOL... As you know salim pai... I am already an Khoja Ismaili Shiite. Converted last year...

was:

How do you convert into Ismaili, or as Salim recommends, even twelver Shiaa`s? You can`t toss about the divinity of five or seven or twelve Imams like juggling balls? These are the lost spiritual bearings of the entire body of Islam.

Where do your loyalties lie now? You forsake Mirza Ghulam Ahmed (because he was no Imam and you found out that fact), now you`ve chosen the Agha Khan (whether he accepts you as one of his disciples or not, that`s another matter), but how do you reconcile your recently discovered pacifism with the fact that the first Ismaili whom the Ismaili sect follows was no other than Hasan Al-Sabah, the most violant of them all, the Imam of the `Assassins` or Hashashins?

My question is, did you ponder over the spirituality of Hasan-Al Sabah at all while making your decision? Regardless of his violance i.e. Did you go deep enough into the Shia spirituality and accompanied violence of the Imams?

Pakistan Golden Jubilee Special

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community`s Great
Contributions & Sacrifices for the
Creation of Pakistan
From ``A MAN OF GOD`` by Iain Adamson

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Iain Adamson is well known Western writer and historian, having written many books of biographies, histories, and other books. As a Foreign correspondent of a number of British National Newspapers he traveled widely in Europe, North America, USA, Mexico, Asia. He had also written World`s famous book ``A Man of God`` the life of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV. We are reproducing Two chapters with due copy right acknowledgment and special thanks to the author and Publisher. These chapters mainly deals with the History of Pakistan with special highlights on ``Role of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam for the Creation of Pakistan and thereafter``.
These chapters are important part of the Pakistan History as the Pakistan Celebrates its 50th Birthday on 14th August 1997. (RAIN Service)

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Chapter Nine: Politics and Persecution
It is one of the ironies of histories that the Ahmadiyya Movement is so persecuted in Pakistan, the country it was instrumental in founding. It is equally ironic that the religious scholars or ulama, who had so violently opposed the creation of Pakistan, should be their persecutors. Opposition to the Ahmadiyya Movement has usually been religious, but often it has been politically inspired in order to divert the attention of the population from real problems or to achieve a political victory by unsavoury means.
So it was with the Ahmadiyya Movement. With other Muslims there are fundamental disagreements about the Movement`s central tenents of belief, but these have open been exacerbated for political reasons - some internal, some international. Few people would deny, however, that Ahmadis are good neighbours and good citizens and, if it were not for these beliefs, that they conduct themselves as good Muslims.

But it is convenient for politicians to have a scapegoat. The denunciation of the Ahmadiyya Movement for purely political motives has left the perpetrators with an ugly heritage.

Tahir**, whose work had taken him all over West and East Pakistan and thus into contact with politicians of all parties, gradually began to act as a kind of liaison officer with the various political parties. ``We had a campaign of meeting politicians and understanding their policies. It was not meddling with politics. What we were concerned with was the survival of Pakistan and the survival of the Community. We could not isolate ourselves and divorce ourselves from what was happening in the country.``

Some received him politely though they were opposed to the belief in the prophethood of Ahmad. Others were completely secular and opposed to all religions. Some he grew to know quite well, each respecting the sincerity of the other person. Others, who were nominally neutral as far as the Movement was concerned, he found untrustworthy and two-faced. To one he said, ``Sir, I have met many political leaders, but you are the weakest of them all, totally without power.``

``If he could have slapped my face he would have done so. He became very angry. But he also became very curious. I had uttered these words deliberately. I knew I must create an earthquake in him or he would not be interested in me. So I told him my concept of leadership, a person who leads his people away from catastrophes, not one who is at the front of a huge crowd and is pushed along by events. I told him that he was riding a fury and that when the crowd had achieved what they wanted they would turn against him and he would become an object of hatred.

``He had granted me half an hour, but in the end I stayed with him for three and a half hours. So you see our objective is not to gain power, but to help politicians to understand things better for the welfare of the country and the people - which is a role assigned to every citizen, not just us.

``Unfortunately, as regards that particular politician, my prediction proved to be correct and in the end he was swallowed up by the very fury he had tried to ride.``

The Promised Messiah had always kept out of politics and had indicated that those who followed him should also keep out of direct involvement in politics. But moral guidance, Tahir was to say later, was the Khalifa`s responsibility. Religion can never be totally disassociated from politics. It is the duty of all religions to keep reminding politicians of their moral obligations to mankind. ``We must advise them, but we must not meddle,`` he said.

Tahir** was to repeat constantly then, and also in later years, that though the Ahmadiyya Movement supported an Islamic state and though Islam was an all-comprising religion, it did not mean that an Islamic state should be governed by a theocracy. ``The ultimate essence of Islamic teachings is a system of government which does not make any differentiation between one religion and another. Nor does it give preferential treatment to the followers of one religion as against the other.``

During the second half of the 19th century Muslim leadership and faith in India was in disarray. In the first half, by conquest, Sikhs had taken over many territories previously ruled by Muslims. Then British military power, fuelled by the Industrial Revolution in Britain, took over and the Indian Empire was born. In an analysis of Muslim political activity an ambassador of Pakistan was to write that in the last half of the 19th century Muslims in India ``had fallen into an abyss of spiritual decadence and political disarray from which there seemed no hope of escape.``

One of the principal functions of The Promised Messiah, according to a prophecy of Muhammad, was to revive the faith of Islam and the publication of the first book of Ahmad was to win high praise from Muslims throughout India.

``In my opinion, this book (Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya) at this time and in view of the present conditions, is unique. No such book has so far been written in the annals of Islam,`` wrote Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, a distinguished Islamic scholar who was later to become one of The Promised Messiah`s most bitter enemies.

Muslims had at first supported the All-India Congress Party, which sought the independence of India as one nation, but in 1905 they began to have doubts about their future in a state where Hindus would have a majority of four to one. The British had established a strong central government with a single army and unified services, even though there were many nominally independent states with their own rulers scattered throughout the sub-continent. At the heart of all Britain`s policies for India was geopolitical concept of a united India. That did not mean, however, that administrative efficiency should be abandoned and in 1905, Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, announced that Bengal, grown cumbersome, would be split into two with a new province of East Bengal and Assam. The Muslim peasantry of Eastern Bengal believed it to be a good idea, but the Hindus of Bengal were violently opposed to the change. It was the first clear sign, it has been said, that the political and economic interests of Hindus and Muslims could be diametrically opposed. A year later, in 1906, one result was the formation in Dacca of the All India Muslim League. The concept of a united India had started to fray at the edges.

In 1911, under Hindu pressure, the Viceroy yielded and the division of Bengal in two administrative units was annulled. The Viceroy`s decision disillusioned many Muslims. The Two Nation plan for India began to take shape.

The Ahmadiyya Movement was at the forefront of these Muslim activities. In 1928, after studying the constitutional plan devised by a committee of the All India Congress Party, the Second Khalifa highlighted the dangers this plan could mean for Muslims in a book entitled ``Muslim Rights And The Nehru Plan``.

A little earlier, a distinguished Muslim, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, paid tribute to the work of (71) the Ahmaddiyya Movement in fighting for an independent Muslim state in India with these words, ``It will be ungrateful if we do not mention (the Second Khalifa) and his well- disciplined Community who have devoted all their efforts, irrespective of doctrinal differences, towards the welfare of the Muslims. These gentlemen are, on the one hand, taking an active interest in the politics of Muslims and, on the other, energetically engaged in promoting the unity, organisation, trade and preaching among Muslims.

``The time is not far away when the attitude of this organised sect of Islam will provide guidance for the Muslim nation in general and for those persons in particular who are idly sitting under the domes of Bismillah and making boastful and empty claims of service to Islam..``

The Second Khalifa and the Ahmadiyya Movement were also to play an important role in securing fundamental social and political rights for Muslims in Kashmir who were ruled autocratically by a Hindu maharajah.

The Movement`s pre-eminent role in the creation of Pakistan, however, was to secure the return of Muhammad Ali Jinnah to India to fight for an independent Islamic state. Dismayed by the lack of unity among Muslims, Mr Jinnah, after the Third Round Table Conference n 1932, decided to settle in London and pursue legal career. The Second Khalifa, convinced that Mr. Jinnah was the only man who had the political experience and ability to lead the Muslims, told Mr. A. R. Dard, the Ahmadi missionary in London, that he must try to persuade Mr. Jinnah to return to India.

Mr Dard eventually succeeded and a garden party was held at the London Mosque to celebrate his departure where Mr Jinnah announced to the 200 distinguished guests that it was Mr Dard who had persuaded him to return to India.

``The eloquent persuasion of the Imam left me no escape,`` he said. The rest is history for Mr Jinnah returned to India and resumed his struggle for the political rights of India`s Muslims. On March 23rd, 1940 the All India Muslim League, under the presidency of Mr. Jinnah, adopted a resolution on the future constitutional structure of India.

The crucial paragraph ran as follows, ``Resolved that it is the considered view of this Session of the All India Muslim League that no constitutional plan would be workable in this country, or acceptable to the Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principles, viz., that geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial re-adjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority, should be grouped to constitute Independent States in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.``

Pakistan was created in 1947 under Muhammad Ali Jinnah`s leadership.

Chapter Ten: The Struggle for Pakistan
The support of the Ahmadiyya Movement for an Islamic state was closely monitored by the Viceroy`s government. In 1934 there was wide scale rioting in the Punjab and other parts of India with the houses of Ahmadis looted and burned Until then there had been sporadic harassment of individual Ahmadis, never of the Community as a whole. It was led by the Ahrar Movement, an anti-Ahmadiyya organisation. The Governor of the Punjab, a Mr. Emerson, was to lay the blame at the feet of the Ahmadiyya Movement. Their belief that Jesus did not die on the Cross, he reported to the India Office, made them not only a potential danger to Christianity, but also to the Empire - they could be the cause of further inter-communal rioting. They should therefore not only be watched most seriously but plans laid to see if the Movement could be discredited.
He gave orders that the sermons of the Second Khalifa should be taken down in shorthand to see if, in any way, he could be found to be preaching sedition and so put on trial and jailed. The arrival of a police stenographer on a motorbike to take down the Friday sermon became a regular event in Qadian. Mr. Emerson later told Zafrulla Khan, a member of the Viceroy`s Council and, of course a prominent Ahmadi, that the Second Khalifa was ``like an eel - you grab hold of him yet somehow he slips through your fingers.

``When I studied the reports of his sermons I would think that I had him,`` he said. ``But a few sentences further on he had wriggled out of my grasp.``

The political philosophy of the Movement as a whole was that laid down by The Promised Messiah - if the government guaranteed religious and political liberty and allowed its citizens to prosper peacefully then it was a good government and should be supported. But that did not in way prevent individual Ahmadis pressing further political liberties. ``The Community as such is a non-political organisation, but every Ahmadi in every country has his political rights and the stronger they are in the exercise of these rights the more they personally can achieve something,`` Tahir was to say.

The enthusiasm of the Ahmadiyya Movement for an independent Islamic state and the semi-official opposition of the Governor of the Punjab to the Community is in contradiction to widely-circulated statements of political opponents of the Ahmadis that the Community was an invention and stratagem of the Viceroy`s government - by dividing the Muslims they could rule them more easily. Despite the newspaper reports in British national newspapers of Mr Jinnah at the tea party at the London Mosque to celebrate his departure for India and written documentation this accusation is still brought out. It is true but unfortunate that if you say something often enough some people will believe you.

The tragic and horrible consequences of religious fanaticism during Partition in 1947 are well-recorded. The Ahmadiyya Movement raised their own militia to safeguard their lives and property and, when partition came, moved en masse to Pakistan.

In 1953 for political reasons there was rioting against the Community in the Punjab, but for very nearly the next 20 years the Community suffered only occasional harassment. Pakistan had many internal problems and there were two frontier wars with India over Kashmir where the majority Muslim population had been forcibly annexed to India.

In the first years of the creation of Pakistan`s national identity Ahmadis played a prominent part. Several rose to the rank of general in the Army. The country`s first Foreign Minister was Zafrulla Khan. The Finance Minister was M. M. Ahmad. Some became ambassadors. Other Ahmadis were successful businessmen.

It has been said that they became too successful. Every Ahmadi donates, as a matter of belief, one-sixteenth of his income to the Community. Those who vow to donate one-tenth of their income and also promise that they will make a will leaving one-tenth of their estate to the Movement on their death are known as the testators or will-makers. But with special appeals in many years it is not unusual for will-makers to give up to one-third of their income to the Movement.

The money is used, among other things, to found schools and provide bursaries for gifted children. In Pakistan, a country with limited resources, it gave Ahmadi children a magnificent start in life.

It was the success of General Akhtar Malik, an Ahmadi, in winning control of large parts of Kashmir during the 1965 frontier war with India, which introduced Tahir to Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto. Their lives were and careers were to be inextricably mixed until Bhutto died on the gallows under the dictatorship of General Zia.

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Please note that ``**`` after the name Tahir referred here for Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Khalifatul Masih IV (May Allah strengthen his hands!), the Head of the World-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Copyright Acknowledged with special thanks to Mr. Iain Adamson and also to the Publisher George Shepherd.

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Copyright: George Shepherd 1990

First Published in Great Britain 1990 by
George Shepherd Publishers, Maggs House, Bristol
Printed (twice) 1990

Copyright George Shepherd 1990
Cataloguing in Publication Data
Adamson, lain, 1928-

A Man of God: The Life of Khalifatul Masih IV of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam

Ahmadi Muslims, Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, Pakistan, Islamic, Missionaries etc

Included bibliographical references

A delegation of the Kashmir Press Conference, Srinagar, which included several leading newspaper men, met Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, President of the Muslim League, at his appointed time, on 23 May 1944 at 11 a.m., at `Koshik`, Nishat, Srinagar, and asked various questions.

I asked Quaid-i-Azam, Who can join the All-India Muslim League? At this, Mr. M.A. Sabir, editor of al-Barq, told the Quaid-i-Azam that the background to the question was probably that in Kashmir Ahmadis were not allowed to join the Muslim Conference. Quaid-i-Azam smiled and recorded his reply as follows:

`I have been asked a disturbing question, as to who among the Muslims can be a member of the Muslim Conference. It has been asked with particular reference to the Qadianis. My reply is that, as far as the constitution of the All-India Muslim League is concerned, it stipulates that any Muslim, without distinction of creed or sect, can become a member, provided he accepts the views, policy and programme of the Muslim League, signs the form of membership and pays the subscription. I appeal to the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir not to raise sectarian questions, but instead to unite on one platform under one banner. In this lies the welfare of the Muslims. In this way, not only can Muslims make political and social progress effectively, but so can other communities, and so also can the state of Kashmir as a whole.`
Mr. M.A. Sabir tried as hard as he could to persuade the Quaid-i-Azam to declare Qadianis as being out of the fold of Islam. But the Quaid-i-Azam stuck resolutely to his principle and kept on replying: `What right have I to declare a person non-Muslim, when he claims to be a Muslim`.

Smartsyco...

That is the most muddled and confused piece of garbage I have read.

There were many people - mostly enemies of Pakistan and Muslim League- who tried to weaken the Muslim League by creating this issue of Muslim and Non-muslim....

Here is what Mahomed Ali Jinnah said:

`I have been asked a disturbing question, as to who among the Muslims can be a member of the Muslim Conference. It has been asked with particular reference to the Qadianis. My reply is that, as far as the constitution of the All-India Muslim League is concerned, it stipulates that any Muslim, without distinction of creed or sect, can become a member, provided he accepts the views, policy and programme of the Muslim League, signs the form of membership and pays the subscription. I appeal to the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir not to raise sectarian questions, but instead to unite on one platform under one banner. In this lies the welfare of the Muslims. In this way, not only can Muslims make political and social progress effectively, but so can other communities, and so also can the state of Kashmir as a whole.`

23rd May 1944.

FACTS about AHMADIS

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH,THE MOST MERCIFUL THE MOST COMPASSIONATE


All praise is to ALLAH, the one prayer for and peace on the one after whom no prophet shall ever come as well as on his family, his companions and their followers, till the Day of Judgment.
The second half of the nineteenth century is of great significance in the history of Islam. During this period the forces antagonistic to Islam brought into being two sects who tried their utmost to mislead the Muslims under the label of Islam. These sects exerted all their energies in achieving the age-old desire of the enemies of Islam to wean aspirations and worship-Mecca and Madina-so as to restrain them with in the boundaries of their own countries. The purpose was to cut off the strong ties and connections bindings hundred of millions of Muslims-ties, which made the dwellers of deserts of Hijaz and Nejd, of the heights of the Himalayas and valleys of Kashmir feel and share one another’s pain and sorrows.
Out of such creations of the anti-Islamic forces was one Qadiyanism, a British agency and the second Bahaism, a joint venture of Russo-British imperialism.
The purpose of Qadiyanism was just this and nothing else. It was brought into being and reared by anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim forces. All such forces helped the Qadiyanis through material and other means. Huge funds were made available to them. During their regime British placed them in high offices in Government, gave their children educational stipends and provided them with all possible conveniences. The Hindus took up their cause through pen, press and platform. The Jews provided them with arguments and literature against the accepted principles and fundamentals beliefs of Islam, (however unrealistic and bristle these may have been). Even now international Jewry is fully helping the Qadiyani centers in Africa through the Qadiyani mission in Israel. All agencies and forces enemical to the prophet extended full help to the Qadiyanis in popping them and propagating their cause. Their soul aim was to break the Muslims bond of fealty to their Leader, the prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) whose very name causes creeps of fear in the hearts of the Non-Muslims and whose awe causes, as if an earthquake, in the fortress of anti-Muslim forces, even though he met his LORD nearly fourteen centuries back, due to his leaving and luminous teachings his Ummah even in this state of decline and decay is like a fish-bone choking the threats of the criminally minded and Muslim-bailers. The very idea of their resurgence is enough to bring sleepless nights to their agnostists, the polytheists and the anti-theists. They realize that they cannot live in peace of their own-desire and description unless they finish off the eternal teachings, which even today are capable of reviewing the decadent individuals and nations. They as a second alternative, think that if they cannot ends without at least changing and corrupting their meanings and purposefulness. The best course in their view is to help and succour such mislead religious groups as the Qadiyanis.

It is in this vein that Dr. Shankar Das, a well know Hindu addressed his Hindu brethren in the following words:

“The most crucial question before the country at this juncture is: how to achieve the spirit of nationalism in India. Sometimes bargaining mutual treaties and pacts are entered into with the Muslims. Sometimes resorts are taken to bribery to win them over. At other times, parts of their religious affair are made a politics and a political unity is sought to be achieved. But none of these methods succeeds. The Indian Muslims considered themselves a separate nation. They sing the praises of Arabian Prophet day in and day out. If they could they would change the name of India into Arabia… In this gloom, and despair the Indian nationalists patriots see only one ray of light and that friendly vision is the Ahmadiya movement. The larger the number of Muslims inclining towards Qadiyanism, they will consider Qadiyan as their Mecca and in the end will become nationalists and lovers of India. Only the growth of Qadiyani movement amongst the Muslims can end Arabians culture and pan Islamism. Let us then study the Qadiyani movement from the nationalism point of view.”

From the land of the Punjab rises a man Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadiyani. He appeals to the Muslims:

“I am the prophet about whose advent the QURRAN speaks. Gather you under my banner, for, if you do not, God will not forgive you on the day of Resurrection and you will be placed in hell.”

Without entering the truth or the falsehood of this claim, I only wish to bring out what changes take place in a Muslims before he becomes a Qadiyani. A Qadiyani’s articles of faith are:

i. From time to time God creates a man for the guidance of the people. This man is the prophet of his times.
ii. God had commissioned Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) to Arabia during the days of their moral degradation.
iii. After Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), God felt the necessity of sending another prophet and He commissioned the Mirza to guide the Muslims.

My nationalist brethren will ask: what have these articles of faith got to do with Indian nationalism? The answer is; just as an conversion of a Hindu to Islam, his faith and belief in Rama, Karishna the Vedas, the Gita and the Ramayana are transferred into faith in the QURRAN and the holiness of Arabia similarly on conversion of a Muslim to Qadiyanism his whole point of view undergoes a transformation. His faith in Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) declines. Besides, whereas the seat of Caliphate for him used to be in Arabia or Turkey, it shifts to Qadiyani; Mecca and Medina become only traditionally holy cities. And Qadiyani whether he lie in Arabia, Turkey, Iran or any corner of the world, turns his face towards Qadiyan for spiritual peace. The land of Qadiyan for him is land of salvation. In this lies the secret of the superiority of India. Ever Qadiyani will have love for India in his heart as Qadiyan is in India, the founder of the Qadiyani was an Indian and all his successors who are guiding this sect at the present juncture are Indians…. That is the only why Muslims view the Qadiyani movements with suspicion. They know that Qadiyanism is enemical to the Arabian civilization and Islam.

During the Khilafat movement also the Ahmadis did not side with the Muslims, for, they wished to established the Caliphate in the Qadiyan rather in Turkey or Arabia. Howsoever disappointing this may be for the common Muslims who are always dreaming of pan-Islamism and pan-Arabiaism, but it surely is very pleasing for a nationalis.

When the poet of the east, Dr. Iqbal wrote a very detailed and logical article against the Qadiyanis proving logically that they are ex-communicable from the Muslim millat, the first man to lift his pen against the article was the famed Hindu leader, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. Who wrote several articles in confirmation, favor and defense of the Qadiyanis. So far so, that when, after this, on 29th of May 1936, Pandit Jawahr Lal Nehru came to Lahore the Qadiyani volunteers gave him a formal reception and saluted him. When this was criticized, the Qadiyani Caliph Mirza Mahmood, said in reply:

“In the recent past, Pandit Jawaher Lal Nehru refuted the articles written by Dr. Iqbal to prove that the Ahmadis were outside the fold of Muslims and very effectively proved that the Doctor’s criticism of Qadiyanism and the question of ex-communication of Ahmadis was both unreasonable and against this own earlier attitude. So when such a person comes to province as a guest, his reception on behalf of Qadiyanis is an extremely good gesture.”

Dr. Iqbal while refuting the arguments of Nehru in favor of Qadiyanism analyzed the reasons for Nehru’s support. He wrote:

“I am inclined to think that my statement on Qadiyanism-no more than a mere exposition of a religious doctrine on modern lines-has embarrassed both the Pandit and the Qadiyanis, perhaps because both inwardly resent, for different reasons, the prospects of Muslim political and religious solidarity particularly in India. It is obvious that the Indian nationalist, whose political idealism has practically killed his sense for fact, is intolerant of the birth of a desire for self-determination in the heart of North-West Indian Islam. He thinks, wrongly in my opinion, that the only way to Indian nationalism lies in a total suppression of the cultural entities of the country through the interaction of which alone India can evolve a rich and enduring culture. A nationalism achieved by such methods can mean nothing but mutual bitterness and even oppression. It is equally obvious that the Qadiyanis, too, feel nervous by the political awakening of the Indian Muslims, because they feel that the rise in political prestige of the Indian Muslims is sure to defeat their designs to crave our from the Ummat of the Arabian prophet a new ummat for the Indian prophet. It is no small surprise to me that my effort to impress on the Indian Muslims the extreme necessity of internal cohesion in the present critical movement of their history in India; and my warning them against the forces of disintegration, masquerading as Reformist movements, should have given the pandit as occasion to sympathize with such forces.”

When a movement like Qadiyanism came into existence it was evident that all anti-Islam would support and defend it. They helped the Qadiyanis actively. The British imperialism furnished it even with some individuals so that they may shape and strengthen it. Majority of such persons was from the employees of the British imperialism or of those who had been granted estates for their desertion of the nation and Islamic cause, whose very religion was the seeking of favor from and bootlicking of imperialism. This is a fact and even the founder of Qadiyanis has admitted it:

“The majority of people who have joined my sect are those who are either holding eminent posts with the British Court, or the goodly rich men, their servants and friends or businessmen, lawyers or those educated in the modern way or of such famous scholars, servants and noblemen who have either served the British Government in the past or are serving it at present or their relations or friends who accepted the influence of their elders and the weekly holders of the office of the caretakers of some religious orders. In short this is a party which is the protégé, of the British Government from who it has earned good name and who Is worthy of the Government’s favor. Or it consists of people who are related to me or are among my servants. Besides them is a large number of ulama who have brought home to thousands of hearts the munificence of the Government.”

As far as Jewish help and support is concerned, Mirza Mubarak Ahmad, grandson of the Qadiyani prophet has himself acknowledged in his book OUR FOREIGN MISSIONS VIDE PP. 79-80 in the following words:

“The Ahmadiyya mission in Israel is situated in Haifa at Mount Karmal. We have a mosque there, a mission house, a library, a book depot and a school. The mission also brings out a montly, entitled AL-BUSHRA, which is sent out to thirty different countries accessible though medium of Arabic. Many works of the promised Messiah have been translated into Arabic through this mission.
In many ways this Ahmadiyya mission has been deeply affected by the partition of what formerly was called Palestine. The small number of Muslims left in Israel derives a great deal of strength from the presence of our mission, which never misses a chance of being of service to them. Some time ago, our missionary had an interview with the Mayor of Haifa, when during the discussion on many points, he offered to build for us a school at Kababeer, a village near Haifa, where we have a strong and well established Ahmadiyya community of Palestinian Arabs. He also promised that he would come to see your missionary at Kababeer, which he did later, accompanied by four notables from Haifa. He was duly received by members of community and by the students of our school, a meeting having been held to welcome the guests. Before his return he entered his impressions in the Visitors’ Book
Another small incident, which would give readers some idea of the position our mission in Israel occupies, is that in 1956 when our missionary, choudhry Muhammad Sharif, returned to the headquarters of the Movement of Pakistan, the president of Israel sent word that he (our missionary) should see him before embarking on the journey back, Choudhry Muhammad Sharif utilized the opportunity to present a copy of the German translation of the HOLY QURRAN to the President, which he gladly accepted. This interview and what transpired at it was widely reported in the Israeli Press, and a brief account was also broadcast on the radio.”

These reasons led me to take an intensive study of almost the entire Qadiyani literature during my student days and I contributed several articles on the subject in Indo-Pak magazines of Urdu, when in 1964, God provided me with the opportunity of joining the Islamic University at Medina, I was greatly surprised to know from the African students in particular and pilgrims and visitors from other countries in general that the Qadiyanis were creating means for misleading the people of Africa particularly, by declaring themselves to be Muslims. Unfortunately no comprehensive book is available in the Africans or the Arab countries, which could acquaint their inhabitants with the beliefs and actions of the Qadiyanis. So in obedience to the wishes of friends, the desires of the teachers of the Islamic University of Medina and to fulfill this need, I started writing articles in Arabic on Qadiyanism. I made it a point that nothing should be written which is unsupported by evidence or logic and all quotations must be duly supported with complete references to the sources.

These articles were published in different Arabic magazines from time to time. Ultimately a publisher from Medina collected them and published them in the form of a book in 1967. God be thanked that the result was extremely gratifying and the book was in great demand particularly in Africa. During the same period some African friends gave expression to the desirability of an English translation of the book, which will increase its utility in view of the fact that English is more widely spoken and understood in Africa than Arabic.

In 1969 when I returned to Pakistan, my friends here felt the same need. The book is accordingly being presented in English. I admit that due to my other occupational activities I have not had time to add to the original although I did feel such an urge and necessity. But I do hope that even this attempt will not prove to be less useful in understanding the real truth about the Qadiyanism. So far as I know till today, there is no book in English on the subject, which is as detailed and well reasoned. I shall attempt the rest of the subject of discussion regarding Qadiyanism which have been off and on appearing in Urdu in my monthly magazine, “All-Hadith”, may be published in book form.

Something is important to elaborate:

1) Wherever I have given any question followed by its source to be a Qadiyani daily or magazine, I have copied from the book Qadiyani Mazhab by professor Muhammad Ilyas Burny which is available in the hands of all and sundry and has seen numerous editions. No Qadiyani has dared find any mistake or omission in its source material or its quotations. Thus it is reliable in the eyes of both the Muslims and the Qadiyanis as far as quotations are concerned.
2) The books mentioned and pages, which I have referred to, are mostly the first editions. It is a habit with the Qadiyanis that with every fresh edition they go and changes the pages of their books. This is not on account of challenge of the press- but due to necessity felt by them. For example, in the chapter ”Qadiyanism and the belief of the promised Messiah”, quotation from the Qadiyani pretender (that Christ, Peace Be Upon Him, will over-take Anti-Christ at the page of mofassil village of Jerusalem known as Lud (Lydda) and will kill him) is found in Ghulam Ahmad’s book Izalatulaahom at the page 220 of the first edition. But the Qadiyanis has reproduced this text at page 91 in the second edition. The difference is evident.

Similarly, the Qadiyani liar, abusing Shaikhul Islam Sanaullah of Amritsar says: “O the son of wind, o traitor as will be mentioned in the chapter. “The Qadiyani prophet in the history.” This abuse is found in his book at page 43 of the first edition of his book Ijaz-I-Ahmadi. But in the 2nd edition they have put it at page 77.”

In this very chapter it has been mentioned that the pretender wrote:

“That the prophet of ALLAH asked about the Day of Resurrection, when will it occur?
He replied: Doomsday will occur within a hundred years for all the sons of Adam.”

This was copied from page 257 of his book Izalatul-auham. In the second edition however, they have put it at page 104.

There are numerous such instances. Likewise I have retained the names of the Qadiyani books, as they are where they carry meanings in Arabic. I have however, arabicised some of the names as the original ones do not carry any meanings in Arabic. As example is Ghulam of Ahamd’s book Kashti-I-Nooh. In Urdu the meanings of “Kashti” is the same as that for “Safinah” in Arabic. That explains whenever I’ve mentioned this book I’ve written Safinah-I-Nooh.

Similar is the case of his book Aina-I-Kamalat-I-Islam, “Aina” is equivalent of “Miah”. So I’ve mentioned Mirato-Kamalat-I-Islam and in place of “Aeena-I-Sadaqat Miratussidq a book by Ghulam Ahmad’s son Mahmood Ahmad. Similarly Jang-I-Muqaddas of Ghulam Ahmad has been transcribed as Alharbul-Muqaddas and Ek Ghalti ka Izala as Izalato-Ghaltah also by Ghulam”

Some people might say that I’ve cast aside all terms and titles of courtesy and respect for Ghulam Ahmad and his followers much against the habit of the “Ahl-I-Hadith” who are normally very respectful even towards their opponents.

My reply is: indeed respect is and valid for one’s adversaries in opinion and faith. Sometimes it even reaches the bounds of duty. But respect need not be shown to one who is an apostate, who lashes out with his tongue on the prophets and messenger of Gods, who abuses the Caliphs and sympathizers of the Prophet, his sons and his kind companions, who derogates from the honor of the leader of the prophets and himself claims prophet hood. Not only that for such persons showing no respect is proper but is irreligious for the Muslims to respect them. The Prophet himself, addressing people like these said:

“From Muhammad, the prophet of God to Musailma, the imposter.”

“And we have in the prophet, the paragon of virtues” The QURRAN.

As to abuse or rebuke-God forbid that we may do so to anyone- may he be the Anti-Christ indeed like Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani was. This is because the prophet said:

“A believer should neither castigate nor curse” Tirmidhi.

Rsridhar....

As usual your lack of knowledge is appalling.

1- Qadian is the birthplace of Ahmaddiya founder- Mirza Ghulam Ahmed- and not the headquarters of Ahmaddiya movement.

2- Ahmaddiya headquarters have always been Rabwa (now Chenabnagar) near Sargodha in Pakistan... however during Zia`s time .... the leader of the community was forced to go into exile in London under trumped up charges... and therefore defacto headquarters now exist near London in a place called Islamabad...

3- As for your offer... why do you want my family to get burnt by Hindu fanatics for being Muslim? My father once said ... he prefers persecution in Pakistan than to live under Hindu fanatics.

4- Pakistan may have ``persecuted`` us ... but Ahmadis still remain a strong, rich and resourceful community in Pakistan... owning many large business ventures like Shezan etc and they have been strong in the establishment ... this is not true of Ahmadis in India by the way.