Sathyadoothan’ [in Malayalam,
it means “True Messenger”] is the Malayalam organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community in Kerala. This venerable journal, established in the early part of
the last Century by very distinguished Ahmadi elders, has had an enviable
record of enlightening the people of Kerala on the mission and message of the
Promised Massih (as) through its elegant articles. Of late, however,
unfortunately, the journal is repeatedly drifting away from its high standards,
even making blatant errors in the interpretation and understanding of the views
of the Promised Massih (as). It is now virtually misleading and misguiding Ahmadis
on the most important spiritual issue of the day: the future of Divine Guidance.
In its quest for elevating the status
of the current Khilafat arrangement in the Community among its common members,
the monthly journal is on a campaign mode: that
Allah cannot and will not raise a Mujaddid in the new century because the current
and Fifth Khalifa is Divinely- appointed and guided. It argues that the
status of the Khalifa is even above that of Mujaddidin who appeared in every
century of Islam. And the institution of Mujaddidiyat
is inexplicably dismissed as a mere “temporary phenomenon” that happened to last
through the entire Islamic Era. Astonishingly, it put the Khilafat of early Islam (that lasted
only 30 years after the death of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and in spite of
its perceived absence for over a millennium from among the Muslims) as the “enduring
phenomenon” which made a reappearance after the death of Hadhrat Ahmad (as)
with the institutionalization of Khilafat in the Community in 1908.
While dismissing the very need
for Mujaddidin in the presence
of the “permanent” Ahmadiyya Khilafat, the Journal is cautious enough to acknowledge
that prophets can come even in future as the Holy Qur’an keeps the door open
for revelation and prophethood through its several verses. It begets a
pertinent question: Will the coming Messenger of Allah not be the Mujaddid of his era? Why only the
Khulafa elected by men can be raised to these Divine offices as Elects of Allah
when the Holy Qur’an offers this possibility of spiritual elevation for ALL
righteous believers?
Even while describing Hadhrat
Ahmad (as) as the Mujaddid of the
Millennium, the current Khalifa of the Community is on record stating
that an Ahmadiyya Khalifa can declare himself as the Mujaddid if and when Allah so informs him through revelation [Friday Sermon of June 10, 2011]. In
other words, even the Khalifa does not believe that a Mujaddid will not be raised in future. This is in spite of what
his own disciples and scholars of the Jamaat are expressly holding forth in their
articles in the Sathyadoothan.
Today,
Ahmadi scholars are projecting a distinction between Khilafat and Mujaddidiyat.
In the July
2011 issue of the Sathyadoothan,
in an article entitled “Nubuwwat and Khilafat” [p.30-33], Muhammad
Farooq Sahib quotes a Hadith in support of the view that ‘Khilafat’ in
Islam was to end in 30 years after the death of the Holy Prophet (sa).
About this very Hadith, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says:
“To argue that it is said in the
Hadith that khilafat shall be for thirty years is strange logic. When the Holy Quran says: "A multitude from among the earlier ones, and a multitude from
among the later ones", what kind of sense is it to adduce a hadith
against it and take its meaning as contradicting the Qur’an?” [Shahadatoul Qur’an, p.41]
It is amazing that even after
consulting and quoting from the same book of the Promised Massih (as)- Shahadatoul Qur’an- in his article, the
writer chose to over rule the perspective of the Imam of the Age. The simple fact is that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has nothing to do with
this creative doctrine designed to put the current Khilafat on a pedestal and
thereby, thwart any attempt by Allah to raise a common Muslim with a divine
mission. In fact, the new doctrine fundamentally undermines and subverts the
structural framework of divine guidance in Islam as explained by the Promised
Massih (as).
In countless places, the Promised
Massih (as) wrote that the Ayat
Isthikhlaf (24:56) refers to perpetual Khilafat among Muslims and that the
promise regarding Khilafat was fulfilled
through the coming of Mujaddidin in every century of Islam and that
Mujaddidiyat is the “permanent institution” till the Day of Judgement. He
adduces several reasons to show
the perpetual character of the Khilafat offered by Islam:
...Then the following point should also be considered. Given that God had
explained by use of an analogy that He would raise caliphs among the Muslim
people in the same manner as He raised successors after Moses, one should
see what course did God follow after the death of Moses: did He send
successors for only thirty years, or did He extend this series for fourteen
hundred years?
Then again, as the grace of God
upon our Holy Prophet, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him, was far
greater than that which was upon Moses, as He Himself said, "The grace of God upon thee is very
great" (4:113), and He also said regarding this nation, "You are the best nation raised for
mankind" (3:109), how could it be that the series of successors of
Moses should be continued for fourteen hundred years, but here the Khilafat
terminate after a mere thirty years? If the Muslim people are devoid forever of
the spiritual lights of Khilafat, let anyone explain the meaning of the verse: "You are the best nation raised for
mankind".
If it is desired to keep this
nation blind forever, and if the object is to keep this faith dead, what is the
meaning of saying that it is the best and that it has been raised for the
welfare and guidance of mankind? Can the blind lead the blind?
So, O people who are called Muslims, ponder for God's sake:
this verse means just that spiritual life and inner vision shall remain in you
always, till the Day of Judgment, and followers of other religions shall
receive light from you. And this spiritual life and inner vision which has the capability to
invite people of other faiths towards the truth -- this is just the thing which
in other words is known as Khilafat. How can you then assert that the Khilafat,
after having continued for only thirty years, vanished into nothing? Fear
God, fear God, and fear God!
Now it should be remembered that
although there are many verses of this kind in the Holy Quran, giving the glad tidings of a perpetual Khilafat
among the Muslim people, and Hadith is full of reports about this as well, for
the moment this much will suffice for those who accept proven facts like a great
treasure. There could be no worse misgiving about Islam than to consider it
to be a dead religion and to believe its blessings to be limited to only the
first generation. Does the Book which opens the door to perpetual blessings
teach the disheartening less on that there is no blessing or Khilafat to look
forward to, but that all has been left behind?...
It is lamentable that our critics
do not give the least thought to the point that in such a case Islam proves to
be very inferior as regards its spirituality, and the Master-Prophet, may peace
and the blessings of God be upon him, is shown to be no great prophet, God
forbid, and the Quran does not prove to be a book whose light is very
effective. It would then turn out to be an absurd, meaning less and base
less claim to say that this nation is the best of nations and is to give
spiritual benefit to other nations for all time, that the Quran is the most
perfect and complete of all Divine books in its accomplishments and effect, and
that this Apostle is the most excellent of all the messengers of God in his
power of purification and of perfecting the moral character of others.
It would also give rise to the great trouble that that part
of the teachings of the Quran which aims to make man resemble prophets in terms
of spiritual light and attainments, will be considered to be abrogated forever,
because if this people do not possess the capability to produce the spiritual
accomplishments of Khilafat within themselves, then any teaching which enjoins
the attainment of this status would be just use less . In fact, even asking the question,
Is Islam now a dead religion forever in which there do not arise persons
whose Divine signs and inspiration are substitutes for the miracles and
revelation of the prophets, makes one tremble, let alone that some Muslims
should entertain such a belief, God forbid. May God guide those people who
are prisoners to such heretic
ideas.”
[“ Shahadatoul
Quran” English Translation by Dr Zahid Aziz p56-61 ]
In order to elevate the position
of the Ahmadiyya Khulafa who were to succeed him, the Promised Massih (as) did
not dismiss Mujaddidiyat as a temporary phenomenon. He did
not view Mujaddidiyat
as an institution without a Qur’anic basis which
anyway got established among Muslims out of the blue sky to replace the
permanent ‘Khilafat’ which was
suspended under a Divine prophecy after a single generation ! No one can accuse the Promised Massih (as) that he
reserved the great blessing of being a
recipient of divine revelations and the spiritual
status it may entail as promised under Holy Qur’an [40:16; 4:70] to the Ahmadi Khulafa alone after his
departure as is currently being projected.
“HERETIC
IDEAS”
Yes, that is the term preferred by the Promised Massih (as) to describe
the kind
of viewpoint being shared by the official/ mainstream Ahmadiyya Jamaat and
propagated by its scholars today.
To
those who believe that the Khilafat,
after having continued for only thirty years, vanished into nothing, the Promised Massih (as) said:
“Fear God, fear God, and fear God!”