Huzoor, first if I like to start with one question, if that is sufficient for the whole Evening, I don’t know. Up to the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, the members of Anjuman-e-Ahmadiyya Ishaq-e-Islam Lahore, as I understand, had the same beliefs as the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Mubai’i, that is those who remained loyal to Khilafat. But afterwards, they had different beliefs to my knowledge. Would Huzoor kindly explain? Excuse me, the first statement on which you want to build the question is not correct, unfortunately.
It was during the first caliphate, that is Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I’s time, that they had already surfaced with a distinct set of beliefs. And repeatedly they were reprimanded by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, and they were kept under strict harness for a while. But afterwards, as the death approached, then they started creating sort of fitna so openly that it became a very prominent issue at that time. So, to say that they changed their beliefs after the death of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, is not exactly right. They got separated officially with full declaration, that is clear. But the beliefs they had, they had sustained, in fact, these beliefs with an undercurrent of differences with Khilafat. It all started with that. And now, keeping this state of affairs in view, now you can frame your question, what the question is.
My question is, Huzoor, would Huzoor kindly explain the change in their beliefs, and reasons thereof, especially for the new converts and younger generation, as they still believe the Promised Messiah as a reformer for this age, and also accept the books of the Promised Messiah? Right, please sit down. As I briefly mentioned, their differences started with Khilafat, in fact. And they started with a particular person, in fact, whom they thought, they feared, would become the future Khalifa for the Jama’at. So, they were afraid of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II, that is Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad, to become the Khalifa, because he was like a rising star, so obvious and prominent, that everybody, if not started talking, at least started entertaining such views, as some kept to their mind and some did not, about his possible Khilafat.
So, because these particular people, who were opposed to him, they entertained personal enmity and personal jealousy of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad, so they started talking. Now, once they realised, during this process of difference of opinion, that whatever they do, this young man is willingly going to become a Khalifa after the death of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad. They started justifying their difference with him. The only way they could wriggle out of this difficulty was, to start preaching about the institution of Khilafat and propagating that this was not necessary, because as long as the institution of Khilafat remained there, they had absolutely no choice to replace Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad and choose one of the Khalifas of their own liking.
So, this was the first defeat accepted by them, in positively realising that this game is lost, and then changing their stance to principles instead of personalities. This was a better looking way of opposing him, obviously. It had some nobility, if you differ in principles rather than on personalities. So anyway, they started propagating that we accepted Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, as a person, the most pious man. Otherwise, as far as the rights inherited from Hazrat Masih I are concerned, those rights belong to Anjuman. This was the first seed of dissension that they sowed. Now, this concept further developed and they started saying that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I was a spiritual man, highly spiritual, and was an exceptional character. So, Anjuman, it was the Anjuman who chose him.
But it was not that the Anjuman gave up the right for choosing forever. For one particular instance, the Anjuman decided to give her powers over to a certain person. So, they were in a way delegated powers. And the Southern Anjuman still retains the power of being the true inheritors of Hazrat Masih I’s authority for all time to come. Secondly, they started saying that the powers which Anjuman enjoys, in fact, are the powers which evolve from a system. And it is a democratic age, and this is the democratic system which Hazrat Masih I has given to the community, confirming to the dictates of time. When they started saying it, the reason was that if they wanted to do away with Khilafat, they had to do away with Nabuwat as well. Because if they accepted Hazrat Masih I as a prophet, then a prophet never leaves his authorities to a democratic elected Anjuman or things like that.
There is no evidence in the past prophethood that ever a prophet delegated his powers to a body of people who were to be elected democratically later on. So, that was the main difficulty which arose in the way of establishing this view. With the result that a second step had to be taken, it was unavoidable. So, they started murmuring later on that Hazrat Masih I was a prophet in a very remote sense. In reality, he was not. And because Hazrat Masih I, while addressing certain opponents who propagated about him that he claimed to be an independent prophet, independent of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa, had rejected this view outright in the strongest terms. And if you read just those passages of Hazrat Masih I, not knowing to whom he is addressing, you may infer yourself that perhaps he is rejecting that concept of Nabuwat altogether in him. He is disclaiming himself to be a Nabi in any way.
In some strong passages, if somebody has a set inclination of thinking, he can infer from that that Hazrat Masih I is disclaiming. So, they brought those passages to limelight and said, look here, this is obviously the position. Hazrat Masih I never claimed to be a prophet in the true sense. By zilli prophet he meant a prophet of a sort, you know, which was not really a prophet. So, they also took refuge in some other writings of Hazrat Masih I, which spoke about muhaddiths and muhaddithin. And he said that there were previous muhaddithin in the ummah. So, when he speaks of muhaddiths as a prophet, obviously he is one of those and not at all an exception. So, this is how they completely somersaulted and turned volta-faced. And in fact, they got renegaded from the Jama’at. But during the lifetime of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, this attitude was tolerated to a certain extent to keep them within the community and to reform them. But whenever things went too far, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I had to talk to them in strongest terms.
Some of those sermons are famous and have been oft quoted in Jama’at Ahmadiyya’s Khilafat Day speeches, in which he very clearly tells them that these views are totally wrong, they have nothing to do with Ahmadiyyat. So, at the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I’s death, Hazrat Musleh Maud, r.a, knowing that originally their differences had all emanated from their personal dislike of him, offered them this proposition that if they accept in principle the constitution of Khilafat, he himself would propose the name of Maulana Muhammad Ali or anyone on which they agree, so that will save a schism in the community as well as will also save the fundamental principles of the community. But they knew that they had gone already too far. If they immediately accepted it at that time, everybody would see that their game was personal and illogical and it had egotistic motives and they were not talking of principles.
So that was the main difficulty, but apart from that, their impression which they had already received was correct, that Jama’at was in no mood of choosing anyone but Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I’s son. So the rift started from there, and then a new experiment started, which was in a way ordained. Allah wanted to establish through this age that there are two branches of Jama’at-e-Ahmadiyya, one with the popular beliefs and one with the most unpopular and hateful beliefs to the rest of the people. Yet when they both try to gain converts from the society, the result is that that Jama’at with the most popular beliefs, in accordance with the requirements of age, that Jama’at instead of gaining converts is losing its own members and begins to diminish in every respect. And that part of the community which stood on principles, however bitter those principles were to the rest of the world, they started gaining converts from right and left and growing at such rapid pace that it is a very interesting lesson to be drawn from this comparison.
Now they were left with two views, obviously. No Naboowal. So the most hateful claim of Jama’at-e-Ahmadiyya to the rest of the Muslim world is obviously the claim of Hazrat Masih I to be a prophet, a subordinate prophet of course. So that difficulty was removed from their way. No barrier was left between the non-Mubai’in and the rest of the Muslims. Secondly, it was the age of democracy. Everybody was talking of democracy and still does. So they started launching a complaint against Amiriyat, that is dictatorship. And they said Khilafat or Mirza Mahmood, whatever sort, whatever type of Khilafat it would be, would be tantamount to just dictatorship and nothing more because there is no Nabi, so no Khilafat.
Now the comparison is only between one branch of the community accepting democracy and the other accepting dictatorship. So this experiment was launched by, I understand, the decree of Allah. And you can see the results of the comparison. The fact is that to begin with, they claimed, the non-Mubai’in, that the majority is with them to the tune of 90% of thereabouts, as far as the people go. And as far as the finances of the community go, it was their claim, and that was quite right, that we had left a few anas in the coffers of Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya, and we’ll see how they run the community. With 90% of Ahmadiyya community, according to them, siding with them, and with only a few anas left to the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya’s batil maal, and also another comparison was made by them, they said the very cream of the community in wisdom, experience, education, it has also joined hands with us.
All the important amaideen, they called them. And in many places it was so. In fact, northwest province was controlled by a few people at that time, by a few elders of the community, and almost entirely they took to the views of were Mubai’in, non-conformists. So the result was that in the Punjab, most often those who were left with Hazrat Musleh Maud, attached with the Khilafat in the beginning, were the common run of the people in the Punjab. And they also got attached to him not because of any doctrinal decisions they had made. They just had love for Hazrat Musleh Maud and an inbred faith of Khilafat. They couldn’t live without Khilafat. So these were the two factors. Out of love, they could not be separated from Hazrat Musleh Maud’s chosen son, and a promised son. That they had in their minds, that he is the promised son.
Secondly, their love of the institution of Khilafat. These two advantages, in fact, they turned out to be advantages later on, these two advantages stood in their favor and they decided to remain in the community. But they were just common masses. Or those companions of Hazrat Musleh Maud, apart from this particular group, who were fortunate enough to remain in Qadian under his supervision and in his close companionship, they without fail, except for one or two instances, they accepted Khilafat and left them.
But within a few months, even those so-called masses which had followed them, for instance from Sialkot district or some other parts of Punjab, Gujarat and other places, they also started abandoning them and running to Qadian for Khilafat. So this is how it started and the process is still in progress. There is a constant desertion of good people from the Lahori community in favor of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Mubaih. It still goes on everywhere. I still receive letters from all over the world where the Lahori community people are inclined towards Ahmadiyyat, either they have accepted or they are in the process of accepting. Only yesterday I received a letter from Fiji, that the group which I mentioned earlier and which had met me, although their leader was dead unfortunately before he could accept bai’at, those of his mind, they are now coming to Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. Repeatedly they have started saying their prayers behind them and now they have fixed an appointment with the leaders of the community for a dialogue on this issue.
And it was hoped very strongly that Insha’Allah within a matter of days they will accept Ahmadiyyat, the two Ahmadiyyats I am making. So this goes on and their number goes on diminishing still. Yet according to Hazrat Musleh Maud’s prophecy they will not be totally wiped out. A thin strain perhaps from among them, a streak would continue just to prove that this was the most popular experiment as far as popularity goes, and it totally failed, as against those values which were extremely unacceptable to the rest of the world, and those values won. That shows the hand of Allah. So that is one way of looking at this difference in opinion and difference of attitude of both the communities.
The other way is, which I generally adopt when I speak to the non-Mubai’in, and this I want to tell you because I think this is the best approach to them, because there is very little you have to remember from the books, very little you have to learn from a scholar, only you just remember and digest the argument and it would suffice you everywhere. Some non-Mubai’in once came to see me and they wanted to discuss the difference of opinion with reference to Hazrat Musleh Maud’s writings. They always do this, they choose certain writings and they say from this it is obvious that he was disclaiming the true prophethood, not even subordinate prophet in true sense. Everything was just metaphorical according to them. So I told them that this type of discussions have been going on for almost a century, and scholars of both the communities have tried their hands at it with increasing confidence, and it goes on and on, and I have seen people in fact who spent all their lives discussing such things with non-Mubai’in and reaching no end, no result. The fact is that Ahmadis come out with a few other, in fact many other excerpts from Hazrat Musleh Maud’s books, throwing light on this aspect and establishing the fact that the Nabuwat which he is denying is a different type of Nabuwat, all that stands independently against Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa, that is totally rejected by him.
Any other concept of Nabuwat which stands subservient to Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa has neither ever been rejected by him, nor is it in itself a rejectable concept. So this fundamental principle is applicable in our differences. But they don’t see the other side, we have been trying to convince them but they don’t. So I told those who came to me that there is no fun in going about it over and over again while you know and I know that our elders have attempted their luck at this and failed. So I said I have got another approach. When you have a proper answer to this, you better come to meet me and then we’ll see what happens. My approach was, as I told him, that I said you have no right to believe in Hazrat Musleh Maud at all, not to mention his mujaddidiyat or holiness or whatever station you concede to him. In fact, in reality, you have absolutely no right to call him an honest, truthful man. So why do you discuss this aspect of his Nabuwat? First prove to me that according to your beliefs he can be proved to be an honest, truthful man. Now he was shocked at this approach. I said no, I am going to explain that. I said Hazrat Musleh Maud did not only pray for his children, but he also gave us the glad tidings.
There is a big difference between this and just saying prayers. He said, addressing Allah, You gave me the glad tiding that I will give you pious progeny, and I will not let them be destroyed at all. They will flourish like cypress trees in gardens, and they will produce fruit and leaves profusely. This promise you have given me, as a food for my spirit and my soul. How can I thank you enough? Subhanallah Zia Akhzal Adi, all praise be to you, you are above any fault, any faltering, and you are the being who has totally defeated and put to flight my enemies, Akhzal Adi. I said this, now you have been saying that a son of Noah is being born again. But about the son of Noah, it was positively told to Nuh that he would be destroyed. It was not that Allah promised that this son would be saved and then he was destroyed. So when Hazrat Nuh misunderstood the message and put this issue to Allah Ta’ala, he had a very strong reproof about it. He said no, he is not your son. But in this regard, Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. clearly speaks of that physical progeny he had received already. And about that progeny, he is talking that I prayed and Allah not only accepted the prayer, but had given me the glad tiding.
So I said, your attitude is this, that the entire offspring of Hazrat Masih Maud A.S., entire progeny, one and all, got totally destroyed. Not a single one among them was saved. Even today, I told him, there is not a single person having the blood of Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. whom you can claim to take sides with you. And he is taking sides with views which are completely opposed to Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. And they are in negation entirely to whatever Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. came for. So on one hand, Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. says, Basharat tune di, aur phir ye aula. Now if a mistake was committed, he should have been rectified by Allah. But he lived on to see them progress, like it was promised. And Allah never said, when did I tell you that these are the boys and girls who are going to be my chosen ones? He never put him right.
So anyway, such a person who makes such a claim, and whatever is proved in future is exactly the opposite. The entire family, the total blood is proved to be entirely corrupt and lost. I said, after that, what right do you have to believe in him as a pious man, not to mention a mujaddid or anyone of high station? Such a man, this is exactly, I said to him, this is exactly the stance of Lekh Ram, which you are taking against Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. Only he had the honesty to say, you are a liar. And you don’t have that honesty. He made exactly this claim, that entire progeny of yours would be totally destroyed. And Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. opposing him said, no, Allah has told me that you will be lost, your progeny would be destroyed, not mine. They would be the blessed chosen servants of Allah. So this is in fact a fight between Lekh Ram and Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. And I told him, in this fight you are siding with Lekh Ram, less the honesty of Lekh Ram in drawing the right conclusion.
The facts remain the same as far as Lekh Ram goes or Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Lahore goes. The difference is only between inferences. So when he heard this, he left without discussion, he was one of the groups who was present, in fact he was leading this view. And next year, I met him as an Ahmadi in the grace of Allah who had accepted Ahmadiyyat. And he told me that that was enough for me. The same approach was taken by me in Fiji. There the people who came to see me, they were quite some stalwarts of the Lahori cause and they were experts in discussing Hazrat Masih Maud A.S.’s claims through his writings. They had quite some tricks up their sleeves.
But when I took this approach, they were nonplussed, absolutely. Because there is no room left for any inference other than this. So this is my general approach and I think those who are not well versed in Hazrat Masih Maud A.S.’s writings, those who are not well armed against the non-Mubai’in, this should be the general approach they should adopt. Is that enough?
