Interpreting the Prophecy on Khilafat

Ahmadi scholars usually quote a prophecy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) regarding Khilafat in support of the permanent nature of the elected Khilafat in the Ahmadiyya Community.

"Prophethood shall remain among you as long as Allah shall will. He will bring about its end and follow it with Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood for as long as He shall will and then bring about its end. A tyrannical monarchy will then follow and will remain as long as Allah shall will and then come to an end. There will follow thereafter monarchial despotism to last as long as Allah shall will and come to an end upon His decree. There will then emerge Khilafat on precept of Prophethood. The Holy Prophet said no more”. (Mishkat).

The argument is that “Khilafat on precept of Prophethood” shall remain continued after the advent of Imam Mahdi till the Last Days.  They point out that “the Holy Prophet said no more” is an indication that “Khilafat on precept of Prophethood” shall remain uninterrupted. In other words, the silence of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) has profound meaning: there is nothing more to be said on the subject. One can only admire the spirituality of those who value not only the express words of the Holy Master (sa), but also the profound meaning of his silences at times. But the important question here is this: Can his silence be interpreted against his express words in other times or even against the context in which he remained silent?

The Fourth Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Thahir Ahmad Sahib is on record stating that in this tradition, Mujaddidin are included in the Khilafat that existed before the advent of Imam Mahdi. But, he also claimed that no Mujaddidin are mentioned afterwards in this noble tradition. As it happens, the Prophetic tradition uses the same phrase “Khilafat on precept of Prophethood” (khilafathun ala minhajunnubuvva) both before and after the advent of Imam Mahdi. So, the argument that Khilafat in the past included Mujaddidin but cannot include them after the advent of Imam Mahdi do not hold water when examined against the express words of this noble tradition.

It is ironical that the silence of the Holy Prophet (sa) in the tradition is being sought to be misinterpreted only to denigrate his other prophecy regarding the coming of Mujaddidin in every century. These arguments will only be rubbished for what it is by those who fear Allah alone: a desperate attempt to perpetuate an elected,  family Khilafat system within the Community even at the cost of denying God’s Messengers.

The 'Doctrine' of Ahmadiyya Khilafat

“God will continue to raise among these people, in the beginning of each century, a man who would teach them the spirit of Islam and thus, in a manner, renew the days of the Prophet”.

- Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)

To secure the future of Islam in its pristine spiritual purity, the community of believers was thus given the glad tiding of a wonderful arrangement- Khulafa of Allah being raised in every century to renew the Faith and to rejuvenate the garden of Islam. The objective was to preserve the letter and spirit of the Holy Qur’an for all times and for ensuring the development of high spiritual qualities among the believers in every century. 

The Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian explained that the achievement of salvation for everyone necessitated the coming of a Mujaddid (Khalifatullah) in every century. The Beneficent Lord has made “the arrangement in every century so that His creatures should not fail in any age to attain the stage of absolute certainty”.  Hadhrat Ahmad (as) believed in the authenticity of this tradition of the Holy Prophet (sa). He projected it in support of his famous claim as the Mujaddid of the Fourteenth Century. On every opportunity that became available to explain the importance of the tradition regarding the coming of divinely ordained Mujaddidin at the turn of a Century, the Promised Massih (as) urged his followers to be careful against complacency on the matter. He cautioned that any one who raises objections against this noble tradition objects to the wisdom of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). Further, he stated that rejecting this tradition amounts to denial of a Divine Plan of Allah, the Most High. 

Divine Blessings in the New Century

“The principal quality of Islam is that its blessings always accompany it. It does not speak only of the past but offers present blessings as well. The world is always in need of blessings and heavenly signs. It is not as if it needed them in the past and does not need them now".

"A weak and helpless human being who is born like a blind is in need of knowing something of the heavenly kingdom and needs to see some sign of the existence and power of God in Whom he believes. The signs of a past age cannot suffice for a subsequent age, for hearing is not the same as seeing and, by the passage of time, past events become like stories.”

           -Hadhrat Ahmad (as)

                          [A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam,  Ruhani Khazain, Vol.5, pp.245].  

As per the Divine Plan and prophecies vouchsafed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), Allah, the Most High raised Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian in the Fourteenth century of Islamic Calendar as Al Imam Al Mahdi to raise the flag of true spirituality. After his death, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that he founded, successfully carried the message of true spirituality and took it to the corners of the earth.

Injustices in the Ahmadiyya Community

According to the Holy Qur'an, the prevalence of injustice within a system will inexorably lead it astray from the way of Allah (38:27).

The Fifth Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib certainly believes that a wrong decision can be taken by a Khalifa on the basis of “a miscalculation or misunderstanding on the part of a Khalifa”.  Hadhrat Musleh Maoud (ra) believed that ‘sometimes their advisors can give them wrong advice’. [Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Conditions of Bai’at and the Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, pp.202-203, (Islamabad, UK: 2006)].  He also warned the community that ‘if ever Khilafath comes under a shadow, it shall be because of the people around the Khalifa’. 

When Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius claimed that he is a recipient of revelations, the then National Amir of the Jamaat in Mauritius wrote a false report saying that the former does not believe in the Khilafat system. The only crime he committed was that he said he is a recipient of divine revelations. The Fourth Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Thahir Ahmad Sahib, in a moment of unbelievable hubris, arbitrarily ordered him out of the Jamaat, basing himself on the report of his Amir, without asking any explanation or even looking at the revelations. Was that not an unfair and unjust decision?

Reflecting on the consequences of injustice, Hadhrat Khalifathullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib stated:

“Everything declines when reaching its climax. When the sun rises, then after some time it sets. Do not think that this means Qayamat, the Last day; but the greatest Qayamat is when a Chief of a Jamaat establishes injustice among the members. He will speak out arrogantly and show his superiority, his power of control, he will humiliate people and make them afraid of him and make them to suffer, threatening them of blowing them out of the Jamaat. This shows the decline of a Jamaat, the Qayamat. At this particular time, their true faces will be unveiled. They will torture the true believers’.

‘Refer to the Holy Qur’an, where Allah ordained Hadhrat Da’oud (as): ‘O David, We have made you a Khalifa in the earth; so judge between men with justice, and follow not vain desire, lest it should lead you astray from the way of Allah. Surely those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment, because they forgot the day of reckoning”.  (38:27).

 ‘This means: Do not stain the mirror of your heart with rust, passions. Otherwise you will deprive yourself from receiving the light of guidance. Allah will never manifest Himself in this kind of heart’. (Friday Sermon of May 30, 2008).

Mistaken Beliefs of Ahmadi Muslims

The mainstream Ahmadi Muslims today do not consider that their Khalifa can be wrong on any matter because they believe he is divinely appointed.  This is in spite of the clear statement of ‘if I do wrong, set me right’ by none other than Hazrath Abu Baker Siddique (ra), whose example was recommended by Hadhrat Ahmad (as) himself as the model for the Community to emulate.

Knowingly or unknowingly, the Ahmadi Muslims have elevated a human being way beyond his official title and responsibilities and almost consider him to be the shadow of Allah on Earth, even though he has never claimed in the last many years of his office that he is even a recipient of divine revelations. In other words, the rank and file of the community is now virtually deifying their Khalifa. They are following an unexamined doctrine that is bound to corrupt their faith in Allah and His religion.

Further, Ahmadis today generally find it difficult to accept the argument in favour of the emergence of a divinely appointed person in the presence of a Khalifa of the Promised Massih (as). They feel that they could accept the claim of a divinely appointed person only if their Khalifa agrees to the emergence of this divine manifestation. In short, they consider that any new Messenger of Allah could be recognized by them to be of such status only when their Khalifa agrees thereto. This is in spite of the fact that the Holy Qur’an reserves the honor of Khalifa of Allah only to Prophets and Messengers who are the Elects of Allah, and not to humanly elected Khalifas.

The Holy Qur’an asks: “Can a blind man and one who sees be alike? Will you not then reflect?”(6:51). When the Khalifa himself is not a recipient of divine revelations, how will he be able to guide the community on the matter? And more importantly, can someone ever claim immunity from divine punishment for the denial of a Messenger of Allah on the basis of the opinion of their leaders and scholars?

Even though people may not generally realize this, is it anything less than Shirk?  What else is the meaning of Allah warning the people “fear not men but fear Me and barter not My Signs for a paltry price” when the series of “godly people and those learned in the Law” preside over them (5:45)? It is pertinent to note that Allah’s curse fell on other peoples because: “They have taken their godly people and those learned in the Law for lords besides Allah” (9: 31).

The Deafening Silence of the Khalifa

The Jamaat of the Promised Massih (as) is at crossroads of spiritual history. Allah has sent a Mujaddid in the new Century as per the glad tidings foretold to the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) and to the Promised Massih (as) himself. Will the Apostle of the Promised Massih recognize and accept and help the new Messenger of Allah as is required to, of every believer in the time of a Messenger of Allah? 

The new Messenger of Allah has been inviting the Ahmadiyya Khalifa to consider the facts in the light of the Divine scheme, right from the very beginning. And he is refraining from predictions on Ahmadiyya Khalifa precisely because Ahmadiyya Khalifa is on a self-imposed silence on the matter. Even when he visited Mauritius in 2005, the fifth Khalifa did not utter a single word on the issue. Now, can someone really think that he is unaware of the developments? And that the kind of persecution the Massih and his disciples are facing in Mauritius is not known to the Khalifa? Because of the opaque nature of the system, we will never come to know the real facts unless the Khalifa himself speaks about it.

The Holy Qur’an clearly instructs: “And believe in what I have sent down which fulfils that which is with you, and be not the first to disbelieve therein, and barter not My signs for a paltry price, and take protection in Me alone. And mix not up truth with falsehood, nor hide the truth while you know”. (2:42-43)

Contrary to these instructions of the Holy Book and the teachings of Hadhrat Ahmad (as), the Ahmadi Maulanas are spreading the belief that their Khalifa is above the rank of a Mujaddid and that the Khalifa has replaced Mujaddidin forever and there is no need for a Mujaddid anymore.

It is very surprising that a “divinely appointed” Khalifa is shying away from displaying the special Divine support he is said to be enjoying. I cannot even begin to imagine that a divinely appointed Khalifa will keep his wisdom to himself on an issue of such profound significance. After all, is it not the duty of the Khalifa of the Promised Massih (as) to “preserve the Book of Allah” (5:45) and to clarify what it entails? 

Abu Baker Siddique: First Sermon as Khalifa

The Islamic Khilafat of the past began with Hadhrat Abu Baker Siddique (ra) and continued during the time of the other rightly guided Khulafa, Hadhrat Omar Ibn Khattab (ra), Hadhrat Usman (ra) and Hadhrat Ali (ra). These devout companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) were intensely conscious about their material and spiritual mandates as the head of the Muslim community when they were thrust with the mantle of leadership. And also the inherent limitations attached to their specific situation as leaders because of the lack of divine revelations in guiding the community at a time when an Elect of Allah was not among them.

Devout Ahmadis consider that the Ahmadiyya Khilafat is established in the best tradition of the Islamic Khilafat of the early days. Yet, the Ahmadis today are guilty of blurring the subtle and profound distinction that separates the true spiritual and material condition between a Divine servant in communion with Allah (swa), and the actual leaders they elect as Khulafa. For instance, most Ahmadis assume and believe without any shred of evidence that the present Khalifatul Massih Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib is a recipient of Divine revelations and that there can never arise anyone with Divine revelations so long as they have the Khulafa elected by the community of people.