In his Friday Sermon of 06 September 2013, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius provides an illuminating commentary on the continuity of Divine guidance in Islam in the Later Days. The great prophecies regarding the Second Manifestation of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) appearing among the “Aakhariin” have been fulfilled at one level with the appearance of the Promised Massih/Khalifatullah Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian in the last century. Till the appearance of a Divine Elect as a Khalifatullah who shall speak with the help of the Rooh-ul-Qudus, Ahmadis have been advised by the Promised Massih (as) (in Al Wassiyat) to remain united under an elected leadership and accordingly, the Khilafat-e- Ahmadiyya was established. Now that in the new century of Islam, Allah (twa) has raised His own Khalifa in the person of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius, there is no scope for a man-elected Khalifa to play a spiritual role. Instead of propagating 'Khatame Massih Maoud' to continue with the mundane Khilafat system within and thereby commanding Allah to do as per their liking, the scholars and members of the Jamaat-e- Ahmadiyya would do well to introspect, show spiritual humility and follow the new Divine Messenger.
Read the extracts from the Friday Sermon:
“And He will raise him from among others of them who have not
yet joined the first (ones). He is the Mighty, the Wise.” (62: 4)
To add to what has been mentioned in this verse of the Holy Quran on the appearance of a Khalifatullah, the Messiah of the last days, and the one who shall in fact symbolize the Spiritual Second Manifestation of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) among the “Aakhariin” this verse of the Holy Quran is indeed very revealing: He regulates the affair from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.” (32: 6)
According to this verse, Islam shall go through a dark period that would last a thousand years, after a first period of progress and prosperity. This first glory would last three hundred years, according to the traditions. Indeed the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “My century is best. Then it will be the century of those who come after my companions (the Tabi’in) then it will be one of those who will come after Tabeïnes (the Tabi-Tabi’in).”
According to this verse, Islam shall go through a dark period that would last a thousand years, after a first period of progress and prosperity. This first glory would last three hundred years, according to the traditions. Indeed the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “My century is best. Then it will be the century of those who come after my companions (the Tabi’in) then it will be one of those who will come after Tabeïnes (the Tabi-Tabi’in).”
Muslim thinkers based themselves on these data that the Promised Messiah or Reviver of the Faith (a Messenger of Allah) will come and verily after the Promised Messiah of the last century Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (upon him be peace), in this century Allah raised His Caliph and Restorer of religion, Khalifatullah based on the precepts of prophethood (of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which shall undoubtedly culminate Insha-Allah in the promised triumph of Islam, Sahih Al Islam – Islam in its pure nature.
Great Prophecies for the Later Days
The sample of these words from the mouth of the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) should
encourage the Muslim orthodoxy to the reflection:
1. When you see the Mahdi, take the oath of allegiance (bai’ah) with him. Go to him, even if you have to crawl over the snow, because he is the Mahdi, the Caliph of Allah. (Ibn Majah).
2. As if to clarify about the caliphate, the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “Follow my footsteps and those of the
Khulafa-i-Rashidiin (the rightly guided caliphs).” (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal).
3. “Hang on to the Jamaat of the Muslims and their Imam , but
if there is no Jamaat or Imam , so stay away from all the different sects, even
if you have to bite the tree roots until you meet Allah in this state.” (Bukhari).
4. Note that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) predicted
about one Jamaat, a single one among the seventy-three which is the true and
only Jamaat which would be like him and his disciples. Better yet, the
Prophet (peace be upon him) warned the Ummah in severe words against error and
deviation which it shall have to face.
Elect of Allah and the elected Khalifa
The Caliph, especially the one receiving divine favours and who is the Elect of Allah (Chosen by Allah) is essentially dependent on Nabuwwat (prophethood). In this sense, it means that he has to be a prophet. Without Nabuwwat there is no Caliph of Allah. So, if the Muslim orthodoxy wants to rediscover the divine caliphate, it is imperative to get the Nabuwwat which must precede any form of Caliph. Thus, if in the times of a (1) Khalifatullah (Caliph of Allah), then the Caliph of Allah shall also be the appointee and prophet of Allah from the waters of the prophethood of the Seal of all prophets, the law-bearing prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), and (2) if the caliph in question is a caliph of a deceased prophet of Allah or Khalifatullah, then this caliphate is in the footsteps of that prophet which has left the world. He is regulated under the obedience of this deceased prophet who was also obedient to Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him).
But in any case, a caliph of Allah/prophet of Allah
is of paramount importance than a caliph appointed by man to continue the
established mission of a Khalifatullah. Both are on the “precepts of prophethood” whereby one is a prophet of Allah in his
own identity, as being appointed directly by Allah within the obedience of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him), and the other is only the successor of the now deceased
prophet/Khalifatullah and who base himself on both the teachings of Islam and
reviver of faith/prophet of Allah who passed away and whom he is in his
obedience until Allah
raises another one of His prophet, and this until Judgement Day, for Allah
shall cause Islam to be ever green (ever solid and true), and for this, it is
necessary for Allah to send His special chosen elects with the Holy Spirit (Ruh-il-Quddus) to establish the
true teachings of Islam and guide people back to it, again and again.
“Khatme Nabuwwat” and “Khatme Massih Maoud”
Now then, the orthodox Muslims were confined for
fourteen centuries in a very strict interpretation of “Khatme Nabuwwat”
by which they meant/mean that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is the last
prophet to all points of view. That is to say, there is, according to them, no Nabuwwat
after the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). And since there is no Nabuwwat,
there will be no caliphs.
Yet this Caliphate, the orthodox Muslim World wants it by the way things are moving nowadays, from what is happening in the different corners of the world. The need for this divine caliphate is felt. This is to say how the orthodox Muslim world and now also the Jamaat Ahmadiyya, the Jamaat of the Messiah of the last century became entangled in a vicious circle by their own faulty reasoning. If on one side the Muslims in general have closed the door of the prophets after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), so today, after so many years of Tabligh (preaching) that were made by the Jamaat Ahmadiyya about the coming of the prophets after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but unfortunately today the same erroneous thoughts of the past and present Muslims have stuck in the head of the followers of the Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (upon him be peace): That no elected Caliph Messenger of God will come after the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (upon him be peace) . So both (the Muslim world in general, and also the Ahmadis ) will not come out (of this vicious circle) – and it is our deepest wish that they come out to receive the graces and pleasure of Allah – except if they decide in the first instance to review and change their interpretation of “Khatme Nabuwwat” and “Khatme Massih Maoud” respectively.
A Divine Khilafat for Our Times
In this century, today only the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam claims to have
been founded by Allah Himself, with the advent of this humble servant of Allah
as the Messiah and Khalifatullah. Also this is the only Jamaat which is governed
by a blessed Khalifatullah system, the Caliphate which has been
divinely established. It is also the only Jamaat proclaiming, with the
blessings of Allah, the final victory of Islam which will be acquired by it
(the Jamaat of Allah – Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam).
I announce to the world that is today there is a Khalifatullah
on the earth of men and I constantly urge the Muslim world to live and act
according to my advice so that the Ummah can know better tomorrows. The unity of the Ummah and progress of Islam
can only be achieved under the authority of the Khalifatullah of the time.
Also, there is no room for another caliph, made by the hand of man, while the
representative of Allah already presides over the Ummah.
It is useful to remember that the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) predicted only one Jamaat among some seventy-three which constitute
the Ummah which is in fact true. But Ulema of other Muslim sects and the
Association Ahmadiyya have unscrupulously poisoned the minds of honest people
during the Divine Manifestation in this century, publishing and conveying
against the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam
and against its founder (this humble servant of Allah, the Khalifatullah ) the
most foul lies. Thus those who truly love the truth must prove themselves to be
very insightful in this regard.
Hadhrat Ali (ra) on
Divine Khilafat
In conclusion, these few words of Hazrat Ali (May
Allah be pleased with him), the fourth Caliph of the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) concerning the divinely inspired Caliph, extracted from ‘Nahjul
Balagha’ or collection of the sermons of Hazrat Ali (May Allah be
pleased with him), published by the organization ‘Shia Muslim World’, 1978:
“It is
not only recommended but it is imperative for you to listen to the advice given
to you by the Khalifatullah (Caliph of Allah) and to act in accordance to it
... do not try to stay away from the truthful Imam as a person fleeing those
who suffer from a contagious disease ... Satan will stretch very attractive
traps ... At first the Mahdi will be a miserable and helpless unknown being.
Islam will be in the pathetic and desperate state like an exhausted camel
putting its head on the ground and wagging its tail. Despite such a beginning,
he (the Khalifatullah) will establish the empire of Allah on earth.”
May Allah illuminate the hearts of believers, seekers of truth and even people who have a poor perception of Khatme Nabuwwat. And my Ahmadi brothers and sisters, I give you this piece of advice that will Insha-Allah, enter your hearts: The past messengers of Allah (peace upon them) , our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Hazrat Massih Maoud - Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (upon him be peace) have not suffered in vain. They had to go through many difficulties and hardships in order to illuminate the religion of Allah, the oneness of God in all His Glory. Islam is the last religion, and being the last Muhammadan Ummah, the Ummah under the command of a perfect Divine Book, the Holy Quran, then all the messengers of God, Khalifatullah come in obedience of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) and the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him).
It is wrong to close the Door of Prophethood
The people in the past have all closed the door of the prophets of God
after the death of their respective prophet. In the Quran there is a mention of the closing of
that door by the people after the coming of Hazrat Yusuf (upon him be peace) - Prophet Joseph, yet many prophets verily
came after him, and each time Allah showed them how they were wrong in
their judgment because Allah did not create man so that man decides the fate of
the people himself. But He sends (divine) guides to them occasionally (Quran 2: 39) so that they may
reconnect with Allah after their weaknesses and straying from the right path.
Therefore, this means that as long as there are men
and women and children on earth, that is to say, the human race on earth, so
every time they deviate from Allah and His way, His religion (Islam - the
perfect religion) and His commandments - His Book (the Quran), then Allah will
send His chosen guides to bring the Muhammadan Ummah and humanity in general
back to the worship of one God, Allah and at the same time to break the idols
by way of divinely inspired arguments so that the thirsty of divine truth
hearts perceive this truth and embrace the pure religion of Allah in peace. For
despite the thorns on their way, they will many efforts, guided and helped by
Allah Himself so that they come to recognize and accept and obey their spiritual
leader, elected by Allah (not by man) to guide them to their real purpose: God,
the One, the Sublime, Allah (Exalted is He in His Purity). Insha-Allah, Ameen.
I end with this verse of the Noble Quran, which represents the words of
the messengers of Allah, the past ones and those who shall be until the Last
Day:
“And our duty is only to convey the Message clearly.” (36: 18).
May Allah inspire you all
with guidance. Insha-Allah, Ameen.